Lufthansa Puts €325 Million on ITA as Rome Becomes Southern Gateway to Japan
12.06.2026 - 17:05:13 | boerse-global.de
Lufthansa is doubling down on its Italian bet. The group’s supervisory board has authorised the purchase of an additional 49% stake in ITA Airways for €325 million, lifting its total holding to 90%. The move, embedded in the original purchase agreement with Italy’s Economy Ministry from June 2023, now awaits clearance from the European Commission and the US Department of Justice—expected in the first quarter of 2027. From 2028, Lufthansa can then buy the remaining 10% and take full ownership.
Central to the airline’s broader ambitions is a strategic expansion of its Asia network. At the IATA annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro on 7 June 2026, Lufthansa signed a deal to bring ITA Airways into the existing Japan joint venture with All Nippon Airways. The partnership, which has coordinated around 160 weekly long-haul flights between Europe and Japan since 2012, will add a daily Rome-Fiumicino to Tokyo-Haneda service from autumn 2026. Japan’s competition authorities have already given the green light.
Rome is being positioned as the group’s southern hub for Japanese connections, offering improved transfer options for passengers from southern Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. On the ground, ITA already operates as a de facto Lufthansa subsidiary: it has joined Star Alliance, adopted Miles & More as its frequent-flier programme, and Lufthansa Cargo markets the Italian carrier’s freight capacity, including three Boeing 777 freighters.
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Separately, Lufthansa deepened its industrial ties with Airbus at the ILA Berlin Air Show, signing a component service contract covering its entire A220 fleet. The two partners also agreed to extend the use of “SharkSkin” surface technology on the A330, a biomimetic coating that cuts fuel burn—a further step in the carrier’s push for operational efficiency.
Investors have warmed to the twin announcements. Lufthansa shares climbed more than 4% on Friday to €8.61, pushing the stock comfortably above its 50-day moving average of €7.93 and the 200-day line of €8.07. Over the past 12 months the equity has gained roughly 22%, though it still sits nearly 10% below its 52-week high of €9.59—a level that looks more within reach if regulators wave through the ITA deal without prolonged delays.
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