Lufthansa Group completed the acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA Airways (AZ, Rome Fiumicino) on January 17, 2025, in line with previous expectations of concluding the transaction in early 2025.

The German holding company and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance injected EUR325 million euros (USD335 million) in fresh capital. Following the move, the Italian government retains the majority 59% stake in the previously wholly-state-owned airline.

“With our investment, we will now strengthen the Italian and European aviation market and the position of the Lufthansa Group as number one in Europe. Our joint passengers worldwide will benefit from improved offers and optimised connections as early as this upcoming summer flight schedule,” Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said in a statement.

The transaction increases to five the number of mainline airlines in the group portfolio after the German flag carrier, the others being Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings. ITA Airways' brand will remain in place and Rome Fiumicino will be the group's sixth connecting hub as the Italian airline becomes integrated into the group, while Milan Linate will play a "prominent role".

The Italian carrier is expected to join the Miles & More loyalty programme within weeks, while joint codeshare connections, mutual use of lounges, and ITA Airways’ entry into Star Alliance are set to be announced “in a timely manner”.

Besides the mainline carriers, the holding also includes Discover Airlines and Air Dolomiti, Swiss' subsidiary Edelweiss Air, regional capacity providers Lufthansa City Airlines and Lufthansa CityLine, cargo operator Lufthansa Cargo, and joint ventures AeroLogic (with DHL Express) and SunExpress (with Turkish Airlines).

ITA's board has already appointed Joerg Eberhart, the former CEO of Air Dolomiti, as ITA Airways’ new CEO, while Lufthansa's Lorenza Maggio will become the chief strategy and information officer. Their appointments were approved earlier this month by the Italian government. The group also appointed Michael Trestl, currently chief commercial officer of Austrian Airlines, as the executive responsible for the integration of ITA into the group.

The transaction was approved by ITA Airways shareholders on December 20 after previously gaining approval from the European Commission.