Officially: the Italian airline ITA Airways is a new member of the Lufthansa Group.
The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the leading airline group in Europe concluded the deal today (Friday). As a result, the Lufthansa Group has a 41 percent stake in the Italian airline. The remaining 59 percent will initially continue to be held by MEF.
Both parties have already agreed in May 2023 that Lufthansa will acquire 41% in ITA Airways. The European Commission recently 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 phase of the investment was carried out today through a capital increase of 325 million euros. Options to purchase the remaining shares of ITA Airways were agreed between the Lufthansa Group and MEF and can be exercised starting this year. With today’s deal, ITA Airways is part of the Lufthansa Group and will be the fifth airline in the group’s network.
Carsten Shapoor, CEO of Lufthansa He noted: “We are proud to welcome the entry of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this, especially in Rome, Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt. The ITA Airways team in recent years has been an impressive success story and with great energy, passion and expertise, built an airline that is already Pride of an entire nation We look forward to continuing this success story of ITA Airways, together with our investment, we will now strengthen the Italian and European aviation market and its position of the Lufthansa Group as number one in Europe. Our joint passengers around the world will benefit from improved offers and optimal connections already in the upcoming summer flight schedule.”
Italy will thus become another “home market” for the Lufthansa Group. The country is already the company’s second most important international market after the US, outside the existing home markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. The five-star Fiumicino Rome Airport will be the Lufthansa Group’s sixth and southernmost hub. Milan-Linata, as an airport A metropolis in the economically strong northern Italian region with the second largest catchment area in the European Union, will play a prominent role in the group.
Integration timing:
ITA Airways will be maintained as a strong brand and will develop further. With the closing of the deal today, the Lufthansa Group and ITA Airways can conclude the first cooperation agreements for their passengers. In a few weeks, ITA Airways frequent flyers will be able to collect their points or miles in ITA Airways’ existing “Volare” program or already in Miles & More, the loyalty program of the Lufthansa Group. In addition, participants in the Miles & More program will have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles on ITA Airways flights. Additional collaborations, such as shared codeshare connections, mutual use of the respective lounges and the planned entry into the Star Alliance airline alliance, will follow. More details will be provided to customers and partners in due course.
ITA Airways (IATA flight number code “AZ”) is a young airline that has been growing since it began operations in 2021. Its modern and environmentally friendly Airbus fleet currently numbers 99 aircraft, including 22 long-haul Airbus A350-900, A330-900neo and A330-200 aircraft . The Italian airline flies to almost 70 destinations around the world. The airline’s home base is Rome Fiumicino (Skytrax 5 stars) and Milan Linate Airport. In 2024, the airline welcomed about 18 million passengers on board its planes.
Jörg Eberhart (54) has been appointed as the new CEO of ITA Airways. He is also a managing member of the board of directors of the Italian airline, based in Rome. In this role, Jörg Eberhart will take over the tasks previously carried out on an interim basis by Antonino Toritz J. and Andrea Benassi.
Lorenza Maggio (47) will assume the position of “Chief Strategy and Integration Officer” (CSIO) and become a member of the ITA Airways Board of Directors. In this role, Lorenza Maggio will manage the airline’s strategic development and be responsible for its integration into the Lufthansa Group.
Michael Trestel (39) will be responsible for the holistic integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group as “ITA Implementation Officer” and will move from Austrian Airlines to the group’s headquarters in Frankfurt for this purpose. Michael Trestel has been a member of the board of Austrian Airlines and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) since 2021.
“I am happy that we can appoint two managers from our ranks to the management of ITA Airways: Jörg Eberhart and Lorenza Maggio”, says Carsten Shapoor. “With their extensive experience and expertise, they will continue the success of ITA Airways and quickly integrate the airline into the Lufthansa Group. Michael Trestel, an experienced airline executive, will take on the task of integration into the group.”
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