Lufthansa’s ITA Airways acquisition: A year in review
In 2024, Lufthansa Group's acquisition of a 41% stake in Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA Airways) saw significant regulatory developments, marked by consistent back and forth with the European Commission (EC).
The EC's intense scrutiny resulted in conditional approval in Jul-2024, requiring remedies to address competition concerns, such as slot transfers at Milan Linate and agreements to enhance competitiveness on transatlantic and Central European routes.
The year witnessed extensive negotiations, culminating in Nov-2024 with the selection of easyJet, IAG and Air France-KLM as remedy takers.
For ITA Airways, 2024 marked a turning point, as the opportunities of an integration into Lufthansa's network started to become much more of a reality.