The European Union’s antitrust regulator is poised to approve Lufthansa’s acquisition of a 41% stake in the financially troubled ITA Airways, Italy’s flag carrier. This comes after Lufthansa addressed competition concerns raised by the EU by submitting a new set of concessions.
Lufthansa’s bid to acquire ITA Airways, which has been ongoing since February 2022, faced scrutiny due to worries about reduced competition on certain routes and ITA’s dominance at Milan-Linate Airport. Despite these challenges, Lufthansa has indicated it will make no further concessions and may abandon the deal if the EU does not approve it by July 4.
The approval is anticipated as the regulator reviews the final package of measures, marking a critical step in the broader context of airline mergers in Europe, including the ongoing investigation into the IAG Group’s proposed acquisition of Air Europa.
