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Ita-Lufthansa, closing postponed: still a few days to pay 325 million euros

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, the possible date would be January 15

Ita-Lufthansa, closing postponed: still a few days to pay 325 million euros

Italy-Lufthansa, it will take a few more days for the German airline to formalise the payment of the 325 million euro necessary for the purchase of 41% of Ita Airways as the first step in controlling the company. The parties are said to still be working on the final details to proceed with the closing – initially scheduled for today – qualified sources explain.

Ita-Lufthansa, closing postponed

Last week the German press agency Dpa had spoken of January 13 as the probable date for the transaction, without the two companies officially confirming or denying it. The operation could therefore be postponed by a few days, some rumours are now talking about Wednesday 15 January as a new date to be circled in red for the subscription of the capital increase by the German carrier. The first step of the new ownership structure will then be the shareholders' meeting, with the appointment of a board of directors that will increase from 3 to 5 members, with Joerg Eberhart – formerly head of strategy at Lufthansa and CEO of Air Dolomiti – who is in pole position to take on the role of CEO.

Ita-Lufthansa, what CEO Spohr said

Lufthansa estimates that in the coming years The stake in Ita Airways will increase the airline group's profits by hundreds of millions of euros, revealed the CEO, Carsten Spohr, interviewed today by Frankfurter Allgemeine. “Ita is the largest acquisition in the history of Lufthansa. Without the prospect of a nine-figure profit contribution, we would not have taken this step,” explains Spohr. The CEO of Lufthansa specifies that the purchase of 100% of Ita is “the goal,” but the increase in participation is not currently planned for 2025. “It is in our interest to keep the Italian government on board in the coming months,” said the manager. By 2027, the group should increase its stake in Ita to 90% and by 2033 to 100%, for a total amount of 829 million euros.

Ita-Lufthansa, the wedding and the numbers

The entry of Ita Airways into the Lufthansa group – which already owns Austrian, Swiss, Eurowings, Brussels Airlines e Discover – will strengthen the third global airline and offers a more solid future prospect for the Italian carrier. In 2024 Ita stopped 'burning' money and at the end of the year had about 500 million in cash. The payment will close a process that began in May 2023, when the first agreement was reached between the Mef (owner of 100% of the shares of the company born from the ashes of the former Alitalia) and the German carrier.

To arrive at the purchase of Ita by Lufthansa, a long consultation with the Ue, which last summer required some corrective in order not to violate the rules regarding competitionThe final green light from Brussels – accompanied by some final tension between the parties over the confirmation of the agreed sale price – required the commitment of the two companies to cede slots on medium and long-haul routes from the airports of Roma Fiumicino e Milan Linate.

In the first case Air France e Iag (the holding company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus) will get slots on long-haul flights to the US and Canada, while in the second EasyJet will benefit from spaces departing with destinations in Europe.

For 2025, Lufthansa plans to proceed with 10 hires among pilots, flight attendants and other profiles, with the main focus on Germany.

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