EC gives green light to ITA-Lufthansa deal

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 3 - The European Commission said Wednesday that it has approved the planned merger of Lufthansa and ITA Airways.
    The EU executive added, however, that the green light for the operation was conditional on the implementation of remedies to protect competition regarding Milan's Linate airport, short-haul routes between Italy and Central Europe, and long-haul routes between Rome's Fiumicino airport and North America.
    The German airline will acquire from a 41% stake in ITA from the Italian economy ministry (MEF) through a 325-million-euro capital increase, with the stake set to rise to 100% in a second phase - by 2033 - for a total investment of 829 million. The MEF currently owns ITA, the company that replaced the loss-making former flag-carrier Alitalia in 2021.
    The Commission approved the move after an in-depth investigation of the proposed transaction, which included a series of objections on competition grounds that it demanded be fixed.
    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.
    In a statement, the Commission said that, while ITA is performing well today, its long-term sustainability as a stand-alone carrier would have remained highly uncertain without the transaction.
    "At a time when consumers are facing increasingly higher prices for air travel, it is very important to preserve competition in the sector," said Vestager.
    "This is why we have assessed very carefully whether the acquisition of a controlling stake in the new Italian flag carrier ITA by Europe's largest network carrier Lufthansa would raise competition concerns.
    "We needed to prevent that passengers end up paying more or end up with fewer and lower quality air transport services on certain routes in and out of Italy.
    "The package of remedies proposed by Lufthansa and the MEF on this cross-border deal fully addresses our competition concerns by ensuring that a sufficient level of competitive pressure remains on all relevant routes". (ANSA).