The Italian airline ITA Airways is a new member of the Lufthansa Group. The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Lufthansa Group have completed the transaction. As a result, the Lufthansa Group has a 41 percent stake in ITA Airways. The remaining 59 percent will initially continue to be held by MEF.
The two parties agreed in May 2023 that Deutsche Lufthansa AG would acquire a minority stake of 41 percent in ITA Airways. The European Commission approved the participation by approving the remedies on November 29, 2024. Other competition authorities outside the EU have since also approved the participation.
The first step of the investment was implemented by means of a capital increase of €325 million (approximately $336 million). Options for the acquisition of the remaining shares in ITA Airways have been agreed between the Lufthansa Group and MEF, and can be exercised from this year. With this transaction, ITA Airways is part of the Lufthansa Group and will be its fifth network airline.
Italy will now become an additional “home market” for the Lufthansa Group. The country is already the company’s second most important international market after the USA, outside the existing home markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. Rome Fiumicino Airport will be the sixth and southernmost Lufthansa Group hub. Milan-Linate, as a metropolitan airport in the northern Italy region with the second largest catchment area in the EU, will play a prominent role in the group.
In a few weeks, ITA Airways’ frequent flyers will be able to collect their points or miles either in ITA Airways’ existing Volare program or in Miles & More, the Lufthansa Group’s loyalty program. Additionally, Miles & More participants will have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles on ITA Airways flights. Further collaborations, such as joint codeshare connections, mutual use of the respective lounges and the planned admission to the Star Alliance are to follow successively. Further details will be communicated to customers and partners in a timely manner.
ITA Airways (IATA flight number code “AZ”) has been growing since it started operating in 2021. Its environmentally friendly Airbus fleet numbers 99 aircraft, including 22 long-haul Airbus A350-900, Airbus A330-900neo and A330-200 aircraft. ITA Airways flies to almost 70 destinations around the world. In 2024, the airline welcomed around 18 million passengers onboard its aircraft.
Joerg Eberhart has been named CEO of ITA Airways. He is also a managing member of the board of directors of the Italian airline, which is based in Rome. In this role, Eberhart will take over the tasks previously performed on an interim basis by Antonino Turicchi and Andrea Benassi.
Lorenza Maggio will take over the position of chief strategy and integration officer, and will become a member of the board of directors of ITA Airways. In this role, Maggio will manage the strategic development of the airline and be responsible for its integration into the Lufthansa Group.
Michael Trestl will be responsible for the holistic integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group as ITA implementation officer, and will transfer from Austrian Airlines to the group headquarters in Frankfurt for this purpose. Trestl has been a member of the Austrian Airlines executive board and chief commercial officer since 2021.
For more information, visit www.lufthansagroup.com.
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