Lufthansa finalised its acquisition of a 41% stake in Italian state-owned airline ITA after European antitrust remedies were put in place, it said on Friday, in a deal designed to boost the carrier's presence in the lucrative southern European market.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG completed the acquisition of a minority stake in Italian carrier ITA Airways late on Friday after first making an offer for its competitor in January 2023.

German Lufthansa Group has finalized its acquisition of Italian airline ITA Airways, closing a long period of uncertainty for Italy’s former flagship carrier.

The Italian airline ITA Airways is a new member of the Lufthansa Group. The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and Europe’s leading aviation group concluded the transaction today. As a result, the Lufthansa Group has a 41 percent stake in the Italian airline ITA Airways. The remaining 59 percent will initially continue to be held by MEF.

Germany's Lufthansa Group has completed its long-sought acquisition of Italian carrier ITA Airways, finalising on 17 January its acquisition of a two-fifths stake in the company.

The MEF pointed out the divestiture of ITA Airways as one of the highlight-worthy moments of its tenure, noting that the Lufthansa Group’s purchase of the Italian airline’s 41% shares through a capital increase will conclude a 40-year history of wasting taxpayers’ money.

The closing of the Ita-Lufthansa operation is postponed: a few more days will be needed to formalize the acquisition and the payment of the 325 million euros needed to buy 41% of Ita Airways. According to rumors,

German airline giant Lufthansa's investment in the Italian state-owned airline ITA Airways, which Lufthansa executives expected to be announced on Monday, may face last-minute delays. The closing of the long-agreed deal had not been announced by Monday afternoon,

Two out of the five new ITA Airways directors are Lufthansa's executives, including Joerg Eberhart, who will be the CEO of the Italian airline.