Condor Sues Lufthansa Group

Condor, a fellow German carrier to Lufthansa, has confirmed it’ll file a lawsuit against the much larger competitor.

The lawsuit centres around Lufthansa Group’s most recent acquisition of ITA Airways and the eventual plan to make the stake firm to enhance its connectivity and grip on the Italian market.

The 41% stake, which was approved, has given the Lufthansa Group significant control of ITA Airways, specifically in the Italian market, to fend off competitors.

Despite already announcing a 41% stake, that minority stake is likely to shift towards a majority shortly, which is where further concerns on Condor’s part arise.

Condor, on the other hand, has expressed frustrations with the EU Commission’s decision, first and foremost, to approve the takeover, knowing the possible repercussions that are likely to eventuate.

More importantly, the conditions for which the EU Commission approved the deal are deemed insufficient to mitigate the negative repercussions that Condor and other competing companies will face in the future.

A lot of Condor’s focus centres around the competitive struggles it will now likely experience following this agreement reached between Lufthansa Group and ITA Airways.

Competition, airfares, and customer impact are all factors considered by governing regulators when consolidation occurs.

More often than not, if there are negatives associated with allowing such a consolidation effort to proceed, it’ll be blocked by the regulator.

However, depending on the severity, conditions may be imposed that must be met to ensure the consolidation is fair to all parties involved and those affected.

Lufthansa’s Purchase of ITA Airways

Lufthansa successfully closed its acquisition of the Italian carrier ITA Airways at the beginning of 2025.

The deal, valued at €325 million, saw Lufthansa take on a minority stake of 41% in the Italian carrier, following years of negotiations to make the deal a reality.

In 2023, the pair announced the plan as part of Lufthansa’s attempts to gain greater control of a European country where it had historically struggled.

Moreover, the purchase of the minority stake was considered necessary for ITA Airways, which had been established after Alitalia’s collapse.

Due to the nature of Alitalia’s birth and the struggles it would face, questions were raised about its long-term position in the industry without the help of a more established company.

By seeing Lufthansa take partial control of ITA Airways, the Italian company now has access to more markets and, generally, greater stability, allowing it to develop its fleet without as much pressure.

Ultimately, this deal continues to be labelled a new phase in both companies’ histories. The takeover aims to create strategic synergies that will enable the two airlines to grow positively in the future.

Lufthansa Group states that the acquisition of ITA will help increase profits by hundreds of millions of euros this year alone. Moreover, it adds a pillar to the group that was not previously present.