Italian airline ITA Airlines is a new member of the Lufthansa Group. The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and Europe’s leading aviation group today completed the transaction. As a result, Lufthansa Group now owns a 41% stake in Italian airline ITA Airlines. The remaining 59% will initially remain held by MEF.
The two companies had already agreed that Lufthansa would acquire a 41% minority stake in ITA Airlines in May 2023. The European Commission recently approved participation by approving the relief package on November 29, 2024. Subsequently, other competition authorities outside the EU also approved participation.
The first phase of investment took place today with a capital increase of 325 million euros. An option to acquire the remaining shares in ITA Airlines has been agreed between Lufthansa Group and MEF and will be exercisable from this year. With today’s transaction, ITA Airlines becomes part of the Lufthansa Group and becomes the group’s fifth network airline.
Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa, said:
“We are proud to finally welcome ITA Airlines into the Lufthansa Group. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this, especially in Rome, Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt. We have written an impressive success story and, with great energy, passion and expertise, we have built an airline that is already the pride of the entire country. We look forward to continuing our aviation success story together. With this investment, we will strengthen the Italian and European aviation market and strengthen Lufthansa Group’s position as number one in Europe. Our co-passengers around the world will benefit from improved offers and optimized connectivity from flight schedules as early as this summer.”
Italy will therefore become a further “home market” for the Lufthansa Group. The country is already the company’s second most important international market after the United States, apart from existing domestic markets such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. The five-star Rome Fiumicino Airport will become Lufthansa Group’s sixth and southernmost hub. Milan Linate Airport plays an important role within the Group as a metropolitan airport in the economically active northern Italian region with the second largest catchment area in the EU.
Timely integration
ITA Airlines will remain a strong brand and continue to develop. The completion of today’s transaction enables Lufthansa Group and ITA Airlines to conclude the first cooperation agreement for passengers. In the coming weeks, ITA Airlines frequent flyer members will be able to earn points or miles with ITA Airlines’ existing “Volare” program or already with Lufthansa Group’s loyalty program Miles & More. Additionally, Miles & More participants will have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles on ITA Airlines flights. We will continue to collaborate in the future, including joint codeshare connections, mutual use of lounges, and plans to join the Star Alliance airline alliance. We will communicate further details to our customers and partners in a timely manner.
ITA Airlines (IATA flight code “AZ”) is a young airline that has continued to grow since it began operations in 2021. Its modern and environmentally friendly Airbus fleet currently has a fleet of 99 aircraft, including long-haul Airbus A350-900s and 22 Airbus A330s. -900neo and A330-200 aircraft. ITA Airlines flies to approximately 70 destinations around the world. The airline’s home base is Rome Fiumicino (5-star Skytrax) and Milan Linate Airport. In 2024, the company welcomed approximately 18 million passengers on its aircraft.
Jorg Everhart (54) has been appointed as the new CEO of ITA Airlines. He is also a managing member of the board of directors of the Italian airline based in Rome. In this role, Jorg Eberhard will take over the tasks held on an interim basis by Antonino Tulicki and Andrea Benassi.
Lorenza Maggio (47) will take over the post of “Chief Strategic Integration Officer” (CSIO) and become a member of ITA Airlines’ Board of Directors. In this role, Lorenza Maggio will manage the strategic development of the airline and be responsible for its integration into the Lufthansa Group.
Michael Trestor (39) will be responsible for the overall integration of ITA Airlines into the Lufthansa Group as “ITA Implementation Officer” and will be transferred from Austrian Airlines to the group headquarters in Frankfurt for this purpose. Michael Trestl has been a member of the Board of Directors and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Austrian Airlines since 2021.
“I am pleased to appoint two managers from our own ranks to the management team of ITA Airlines, Jörg Everhart and Lorenza Maggio,” said Carsten Spohr. “With their extensive experience and expertise, they will continue the success of ITA Airlines and quickly integrate the airline into the Lufthansa Group. Together with Mr. Michael Trestle, they will be a highly experienced airline manager within the group. Take over the integration task.”
Note to editors:
Lufthansa Group will provide further information at a press conference in Rome on February 3, 2025.
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