EC set to OK ITA-Lufthansa deal - sources

(ANSA) - ROME, JUN 13 - The European Commission is gearing to authorize Lufthansa's acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA Airways after both the German airline and the Italian one provided repeated sets of assurances on the deal, EC sources said Thursday.
    European sources close to the dossier told ANSA that the green light, barring unexpected last-minute developments, should be informally given in the next few days.
    The Commission had earlier been expected to announce its verdict between the end of June and the beginning of July, a few days before a July 4 deadline.
    Unions representing Lufthansa and ITA Airways employees recently sent a joint letter to European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager calling for the operation to be given the green light.
    The Italian Treasury owns ITA, the company that replaced the loss-making former flag-carrier Alitalia in 2021.
    Progress in overcoming Vestager's competition misgivings were reported last week and the main outstanding issue were said to regard long-haul flights from Rome's Fiumicino airport to the United States. (ANSA).