Lufthansa’s entry into Ita Airways a “success” for Italy, Germany and Europe

Italy’s Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti considered a “success“The approval given this Wednesday by the European Commission for the entry of the German airline Lufthansa in the capital of the Italian Ita Airways, born from the bankruptcy of Alitalia and owned by the Italian State.

The European green light is coming “After tough negotiations that lasted almost a year”, assumes “a great Italian, German and European success“, Giorgetti said, at a joint press conference in Rome with the president of Ita Airways, Antonino Turicchi, and the general director of LufthansaCarsten Spohr.

“With this operation, we are closing a historic issue today” which has caused a stir in recent months, after a “positive conclusion of the matter which is a triumph for this government and the whole country“, he added.

“The positive solution is given with an operator, Lufthansa, which encourages us with the possibility of developing air traffic from Italy.“, hence “Rome will become a hub for America, Africa and Asia”, celebrated Giorgetti, who expressed his satisfaction with the planned strategy “after a complicated, hard and difficult path”.

The Minister of Economy also stressed that with this operation “Italians will no longer have to contribute billions to cover losses” that Ita Airways had.

He also assured that it is about “The only solution to give a long-term perspective to all current and former employees” of Alitaliain light of which it will be possible to reconsider “a reabsorption of personnel that will depend on the development” of Ita.

The company will be subject to “an industrial plan that will be reinforced by the operation with Lufthansa“, he added.

Spohr said he was “very happy“for the operation.”Itarways, welcome to the Lufthansa Group“, said the director of the German company after the operation.

The operation, which was approved today, will only be completed when the parties execute a series of commitments that include the transfer of assets and slots to operate short-haul routes and measures to promote competition on long-haul routes, the European Commission (EC) reported.

The EC opened an in-depth investigation into suspicions that the purchase by Lufthansa of 41% of Ita Airways could reduce competition on both short and long-haul routes, where both airlines are close rivals.

To resolve the doubts of the Community Executive, Lufthansa and the Italian State – owner of Ita through the Ministry of Economy – undertook to make available to “one or two competing airlines“the assets needed to operate non-stop flights from Rome or Milan to destinations in Central Europe.

The operation was closed by the Italian Government and Lufthansa Last May, the German airline agreed to a 41% stake in Ita Airways, for which it had been seeking a partner for years, with the Italian state in a deal worth 325 million euros.

Ita Airways was founded in October 2021 as an independent airline from its predecessor, Alitalia, which was dismantled after numerous attempts to avoid its liquidation and after years on the brink of bankruptcy.

The Association of Users and Consumers Rights of Italy celebrated that finally “Italy has gotten rid of Alitalia, despite its legacy called Ita Airways”.

“The season of decades of a airline The national crisis that accumulated debts and absorbed money from Italian and European taxpayers should have ended long ago“, said the same organization.