ITA Airways launched off the back of a collapse by national carrier Alitalia. Since then, its position within the industry has never been a sure thing.
As a result, it has continued to look towards partnerships with airlines and groups to boost its portfolio, offering and sustainability in some way.
Lufthansa submitted a bid for ITA Airways back in January. However, discussions around a deal took place far before then, and multiple other candidates were also for such a commitment.
The long list of companies includes the likes of Air France / KLM, Delta alongside discussions surrounding Easyjet and much more. Lufthansa, though, stuck out from the crowd.
According to the latest reports, such a deal is all but seemingly agreed to, and firm confirmation is all that is required.
Once confirmed, the deal would initially see Lufthansa acquire a minority stake. However, as with anything, there is always room for this to increase with time.
Lufthansa sees ITA Airways as an excellent prospect for growing and competing within Italy. A market historically that Lufthansa has struggled with the sheer competition from existing customers and other alliances.
In any case, Lufthansa receives frequent criticism from the general public over such an acquisition. As it’s known historically, Alitalia underperformed, and ITA Airways do not seem to be doing much better. As a result, an investment from the German carrier has been questioned.
