Europe’'s largest airline group Lufthansa on Tuesday, Italian ITA Airways announced its current minority stake in ’. ’a announced its intention to launch.
Lufthansa Group said that Lufthansa’ will use the option to buy a majority stake in ITA Airways “ in June this year for the previously agreed purchase price of 325 million Euro’.
The deal, approved by the company's board of directors on Monday, will continue to be subject to regulatory approvals in both the European Union and the US ’.
Lufthansa, January 2025’te ITA Airways’in Since acquiring a minority stake in ’, he has reserved the right to gradually increase his ownership.
Previously, the airline %It is the Italian government that holds 59 ’. From now on %He'll keep his 10 shares.
Analysts said the move accelerated consolidation in the European airline sector, providing stronger access to the Lufthansa’ya Italian market and long-term growth opportunities through Rome.
The company said the increased ownership means that “ITA Airways’ will be fully integrated into the Lufthansa Group, both organizationally and financially.
Lufthansa CEO’ Carsten Spohr, “, said that all interfaces for the customer are already integrated, with the exception of ” “ North Atlantic flights, where regulatory approval for our merger is still pending”.
If approved, the purchase is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
In a separate statement, ITA Airways president Joerg Eberhart welcomed the agreement as a step of great industrial and strategic importance for “ITA Airways, saying that the airline's full integration into the ”Lufthansa Group will allow us to compete more strongly in international markets.
Lufthansa’'s share price in the afternoon Europe’da %Two is up.
The rise in jet fuel prices has become a primary concern for the European travel industry as Lufthansa’ finds itself at the center of this crisis.
According to Lufthansa’'s latest earnings report, the airline expects an additional €1.7 billion ($2 billion) in 2026 as rising jet fuel prices continue to put pressure on the sector. $) The cost of fuel is waiting for the load.
The need to avoid certain airspaces led to longer flight times, which naturally increased consumption. These adjusted routes also require more staff hours and higher maintenance cycles, adding layers of complexity to the already strained global supply chain.
As reported by Euronews’, global airlines cancelled nearly 13,000 flights this May, while Lufthansa canceled 20,000 short-haul flights by October in an effort to reduce fuel consumption alone.
This reduction in capacity is a direct response to the unsustainable cost of operating older, less fuel-efficient aircraft during peak prices.
Although Lufthansa has managed to remain profitable, increases in jet fuel prices have forced the company to advise passengers to book their holidays as early as possible so as not to pay any further surcharges.
The company is currently investing heavily in the “filo modernization” program to reduce these risks over the long term, but the direct impact of fuel fluctuation continues to weigh on the balance sheet.
Lufthansa remains committed to its financial goals, but volatility in the global oil market remains the biggest variable in its 2026 outlook.
CFO Till Streichert, “We are pleased with the first quarter […] but also the current situation forces us to meticulously examine every available tool to reduce costs, increase efficiency and reduce risks to maintain our ability to act decisively. Our annual profit will probably be lower than initially predicted, ” said.
GermanyLufthansa aircraft parked at the airport in Frankfurt, ’, 12 March 2026
The Lufthansa Group announced a significant financial performance in 2025, revealing the highest revenue in its history. Income, compared to the previous year %5 increase to 39.6 billion Euro’.
According to the latest figures, the airline group also reported operating profit compared to 2024. %He saw a 20 increase, which underlined the strong recovery in passenger demand.
2026In the first quarter of ’, IranDespite the difficulties associated with the conflict involving ’, annual income %8 is increased; This includes variable jet fuel prices and additional costs of €1.7 billion, resulting from the suspension of dozens of routes.
The company has generally kept its capacity stable, with slight growth in long-distance traffic compensating for capacity drops in the short and medium-distance segments.
Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cargo also contributed significantly to the increase in demand for maintenance, repair and overhaul services, as well as the marketing of the ITA Airways ’ cargo area.
With the Lufthansa Group again expecting a strong summer travel season, global demand for air travel remains high and continues to prove its resilience even in times of crisis.
CEO Carsten Spohr, “, said: "In the first quarter, we saw a significant improvement over the previous year's financial results […], but the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, coupled with rising fuel costs and operational constraints, creates enormous challenges for the world as a whole, global air travel and our company.
Spohr, “However, we are resilient about our ability to absorb these effects. This applies to both our above-average protection against fuel price fluctuations and our multi-center, multi-airline strategy, which gives us more flexibility in our route network and fleet development.
