The German airline Lufthansa reached an agreement with the Italian State on Thursday to acquire a stake in ITA Airways, which emerged after the liquidation of Alitalia.
The Italian Ministry of Economy, owner of the entirety of ITA Airways, confirmed the operation in a statement after meeting in Rome with the executive president of Lufthansa, Carsten Sphor, and with the president of the Italian company, Antonino Turicchi. The official statement does not specify what Lufthansa’s participation will be, but in recent days the media have indicated that it would be around 40%charge that could increase to the totality in the next years.
The Italian Economy Minister, Giancarlo Giorgetti, spoke of an “integration perspective” in the released note.
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“Today ends a path that marked the history of the national airline with a perspective of integration into an important European airline,” he said.
For his part, Spohr considered the agreement “good news for Italian consumers and for Europe” because “a stronger ITA will reinforce competition in the Italian market,” he added. The deal has yet to be filed. for recognition by the Italian Court of Auditors and the Directorate General for Competition of the European Commission.
Source: Observadora
