One of the most interested in taking over Alitalia’s estate, Lufthansa seems to have not given up on setting foot in Italy. According to the press in the country, the German carrier would be very close to formalizing a proposal to acquire between 15% and 40% of ITA Airways.
The new Italian airline went into operation on October 15th, replacing the loss-making Alitalia and since then it has shown firm steps to establish itself as the flagship company of Italy.
A few days after debuting, ITA announced a pre-agreement to acquire 28 Airbus jets in order to renew Alitalia’s legacy fleet. The company has also joined the SkyTeam alliance, which has the US carrier Delta Air Lines as one of its greatest exponents, in addition to closing code-shares with several counterparts.
Lufthansa’s interest would involve two key factors, the first because Italy is the second most important foreign market for the company, just behind the US. The second aspect is to block attacks by rival groups, especially Air France-KLM, which was a partner of Alitalia in the past.
If the agreement is confirmed, Lufthansa will be able to announce a considerable investment in Fiumicino Airport, in Rome, in order to transform it into a new European hub.
