Lufthansa Group plans to increase its ownership in ITA Airways to 90pc from early 2025.
Lufthansa have requested the Italian government’s support ifor the first two years following the merger in 2024.
Key concessions include transferring slots at Milan Linate and improving competition on long-haul routes.
The goal is to achieve profitability, integrate with Lufthansa Group, and leverage Rome’s strategic location.
Mr Spohr declined to confirm speculation that suggested Joerg Eberhart, Lufthansa’s head of strategy and former CEO of Air Dolomiti would be appointed CDEO of ITA Airways.
Mr Spohr said: “The dossier took longer than necessary, even in terms of documents; we sent 460,000 pages. But I recognise that it was a highly professional dialogue. It took time to understand how the competition works. The most significant challenge will be to turn around airline. The goal is to achieve a substantial profit margin to guarantee a return on investment, and Lufthansa aims to expedite the integration of ITA, using past experiences with other group carriers like Swiss, Austrian Airlines, and Brussels Airlines. “The boom in air transport in Italy could help us; I’m optimistic.. In the first year, we will harmonise the flights and fares for ITA and Lufthansa. We will focus on codeshares between the Italian carrier and our group; we will integrate our customer data; we will make the sales offices we have around the world available to ITA; we will optimise the management of ground services in various countries, and VIP lounges,” he added. “In 2026-2027, it will be the turn of ITA to enter Star Alliance and the joint ventures we have with partners. We will work on optimising the fleet and lease contracts, joint purchasing, and digital infrastructure. For us, the option for the 90pc starts in early 2025, but I would like to ask the Italian government to stay on board for a little longer because I saw how important the support of the Italian government was also in Brussels and I would like this support also in the first two years of our role in ITA. Then we will agree together on what to do.“
