Ita-Lufthansa deal discussed at G7 bilateral with Scholz

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 19 - The planned acquisition by German carrier Lufthansa of a minority stake in ITA Airways was among the topics discussed during a bilateral meeting between Premier Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Italian sources said on Friday.
    The deal was one of several industrial issues on the agenda, the sources added.
    The bilateral served to prepare the groundwork for an upcoming visit by Scholz to Rome, which the sources said would take place shortly.
    Lufthansa is set to buy 40% of ITA Airways from the Italian Treasury for between 250 and 300 million euros and to come in on an operational level by the summer, sources said in February.
    They added that the Italian government wants "Lufthansa to take operative control as soon as possible so that ITA can benefit from the synergies of the group as soon as possible".
    ITA replaced loss-making former flag-carrier Alitalia in 2021, with the State taking full ownership.
    On Friday Meloni also has a bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, saying via Twitter that she was "pleased" to have met with Sunak again after her recent visit to the UK.
    "Together we engaged in dialogue on the international issues on which we cooperate closely," she said.
    "We will continue down this road, strengthened by the intensity of our relations to face future challenges together". (ANSA).