Deutsche Lufthansa AG has announced plans to exercise its option to acquire an additional 49 percent stake in ITA Airways, increasing its shareholding in the Italian carrier from 41 percent to 90 percent.
The decision was approved by Lufthansa’s Supervisory Board following a recommendation by the airline group’s Executive Board.
According to Lufthansa, the acquisition of the additional stake will take place in June 2026 at a previously agreed purchase price of €325 million. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals, including clearance from the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice, and is expected to close during the first quarter of 2027.
Following completion of the transaction, ITA Airways will be fully integrated into the Lufthansa Group both operationally and financially.
Lufthansa initially acquired a 41 percent stake in ITA Airways on January 17, 2025, after signing an agreement with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) in 2023. The agreement also included an annually recurring option allowing Lufthansa to acquire an additional 49 percent stake, which the airline group has now chosen to exercise.
After the completion of the next phase, the Italian government, through the MEF, will continue to hold the remaining 10 percent stake in ITA Airways. Lufthansa stated that this remaining stake could potentially be acquired in 2028.
Carsten Spohr, CEO of the Lufthansa Group and Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said, “Following the acquisition of the first 41 percent stake in ITA Airways last year, we promised the fastest airline integration in our history. We aimed to complete all major integration steps into the Lufthansa Group within just 18 months.
“We have not only kept this promise. We were even faster: All customer-facing interfaces are already integrated today, with the exception of North Atlantic flights, where, as is well known, regulatory approval for our merger is still pending.”
He noted that most customer-facing systems have already been integrated, including booking, sales and fare systems, alongside the inclusion of ITA Airways into the Miles & More frequent flyer programme, Star Alliance membership and access to Lufthansa Group lounges worldwide.
He added, “Integration is also progressing in the cargo business. Since last year, Lufthansa Cargo has been marketing ITA Airways’ cargo capacity, which alone corresponds to the additional capacity of three Boeing 777 freighters. In light of this success story, we decided to exercise our option to acquire an additional 49 percent stake as early as June of this year.”
