German airline group Lufthansa has reached an agreement with the Italian government to purchase a 41 percent stake in Italian airline ITA Airways through a €325 million capital increase. Lufthansa also has the option to purchase a further 50-55% stake in 2026.
ITA Airways is the successor to Alitalia and was launched in 2021. The Italian state signalled soon thereafter that it is willing to sell the airline to a private company. While a few companies expressed interest, including Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa was awarded exclusive negotiations earlier this year.
Lufthansa announced it would retain the ITA brand and establish it as the “fifth network carrier in Lufthansa Group’s multi-brand and multi-hub system” with a focus on the African and South American continent while turning the airline into a profitable business.
Jan-Hendrik is an aviation enthusiast from Germany, loves to travel the world and fly on as many aircraft as possible. His first flight was with a Condor 757 to Spain and has been interested in aviation ever since. His fields of expertise are aircraft accidents and passenger experience (PaxEx).
