The Lufthansa Group may abandon its planned purchase of a stake in Italian airline ITA Airways due to strict European Union (EU) requirements that could harm competition, according to reports from Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
The European Commission is currently investigating the acquisition, expressing concerns about potential restrictions on competition in various routes to and from Italy.
An anonymous senior Italian government official stated that Lufthansa is critical of the costs associated with meeting EU demands and may abandon the takeover if these costs outweigh the benefits of the deal.
The European Commission has until June 6 to decide on whether to approve, block, or conditionally approve the deal.