German carrier Lufthansa has submitted an offer to acquire a minority stake in ITA Airways.
The airline said it had put in an offer to the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and hopes to “agree on the initial acquisition of a minority stake as well as on options to purchase the remaining shares at a later date”.
Lufthansa Group, which operates Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, said that Italy represents its “most important market outside of its home markets and the US” and noted its “importance for both business and private travel”.
In a statement, Lufthansa said that further negotiations and discussions “would be conducted on an exclusive basis” contingent on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance.
We reported on Lufthansa’s consideration to acquire a stake in the airline this time last year:
ITA Airways began flights in October 2021 following the closure of its predecessor Alitalia.
See our review of a flight from London Heathrow to Rome Fiumicino:
