Lufthansa agrees to acquire minority stake in ITA Airways

German airline Lufthansa will acquire a 40% stake in ITA Airways for more than 300 million euros. The corresponding agreement between the air carrier and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Italy, which currently owns 100% of the shares of ITA Airways, will be signed on May 25, according to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, Report informs referring to TASS.

Lufthansa expects to increase its stake to 90% in the future. The German company is likely to acquire another 50-55% stake for about 500 million euros in the first half of 2026. Thus, the Italian ministry will have from 5 to 10%.

In this case, the transaction must be approved by the EU antimonopoly authority, which may involve up to four months of checks.

On January 27, the Italian Ministry of Finance and Lufthansa signed a letter of intent regarding the acquisition of a minority stake in ITA Airways.