Lufthansa Secures Approval for ITA Airways Deal

One of Europe’s largest airline groups is about to get even bigger. On Wednesday morning the European Commission granted permission for Lufthansa Group to acquire a 41% stake in ITA Airways. 

ITA was founded in November 2020 and is the successor brand to Alitalia, Italy’s former flag carrier. The country’s Ministry of Economy and Finance is currently the sole shareholder in the airline.

The Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said the green light is “conditional upon full compliance with the commitments” outlined in its decision. These center around concerns that the deal could reduce competition in key markets. 

Commenting on the acquisition, Margrethe Vestager, European Commission’s executive vice-president in charge of competition policy, said, maintaining competition in the sector is crucial, “This is why we have assessed very carefully whether the ac