Concessions made to EC over ITA Airways deal - Lufthansa

(see related story) (ANSA) - ROME, JAN 9 - German carrier Lufthansa on Tuesday confirmed that it had made concessions to the European Commission (EC) in a bid to secure approval for the deal to buy a 41% stake in Italy's ITA Airways, but without giving details.
    "In the course of the current review by the European Commission regarding the stake in ITAAirways, the Lufthansa group offered and presented concessions on January 8. These are being examined by the authority in Brussels," said Lufthansa in a statement.
    "Consequently, the European Commission has postponed to January 29 the deadline for the ongoing review" the German group continued.
    "As part of this review we remain in close and constructive contact with all parties involved," it said, adding that it would "not disclose any details about the concessions offered".
    Earlier in the day an EC spokesperson said the European executive had started evaluating the May agreement for Lufthansa to acquire a 41% stake in ITA's share capital against an investment of 325 million euros over the 2023-2024 period.
    "We can confirm that the parties have presented their commitments," the spokesperson said.
    "The provisional deadline by which the Commission can make a decision in this case is January 29, 2024.
    "The Commission will now assess the commitments presented".
    ITA replaced loss-making former flag-carrier Alitalia in 2021, with the State taking full ownership. (ANSA).