Скачать или смотреть Lufthansa buys Ita Airways and says consolidation needed before new hires

(3 Feb 2025)
RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rome, Italy - 03 February 2025
1. Officials including Joerg Eberhart, ITA Airways Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa CEO entering for news conference
2. Promotional video being projected
3. Cutaway ITA flight assistant
4. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Joerg Eberhart, ITA Airways CEO:
“After a year of consolidation in 2025, we expect growth in 2026 and 2027, especially in long-haul flights. The growth of the company will certainly also create opportunities for employment, for new hires."
5. News conference
6. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Joerg Eberhart, ITA Airways CEO:
“The issue of the remedies we had to put in place as conditions for approval by the European Commission. These remedies still guarantee competition on routes where there is an overlap.”
7. Journalist working on laptop
8. SOUNDBITE (Italian) Joerg Eberhart, ITA Airways chief executive officer:
“(ITA’s) transatlantic flights will remain commercially separate from what Lufthansa does as long as there is antitrust concerns from the US.”
9. Cutaway journalists
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa CEO:
“The Italian government has been a very strong supporter on the path which brought us here today. From the very beginning, I had the commitment of Giancarlo Giorgetti, also on behalf of Mrs. Meloni who I also had the chance to meet. The Italian government thinks that Lufthansa is the right home for the strategic future of ITA."
11. ITA Airways logo
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa CEO:

“The clear target is to own 100% of ITA and that is agreed with the Italian government from the very beginning. So every decision we now take must serve the group optimum. And since we already have agreed on a fixed price for the remaining shares, with a little variable component, any euro we now make in Swiss, in Lufthansa, or in ITA in the end is €1 for the Lufthansa group. And this will allow us to treat ITA as a fully fledged member already from the beginning, which is very important."
13. From left of Eberhart, Spohr and Sandro Pappalardo, President of ITA Airways
14. Journalist
15. Eberhart and Pappalardo, shaking hands
16. Logo of ITA Airways
17. Wide of ITA Airways headquarters

STORYLINE:
Germany's Lufthansa Group has finalised its acquisition of Italian airline ITA Airways, closing a long period of uncertainty for Italy’s former flagship carrier.

“After a year of consolidation in 2025, we expect growth in 2026 and 2027, especially in long-haul flights. The growth of the company will certainly also create opportunities for employment, for new hires," Joerg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways, said at a new conference presenting the company's new top management on Monday.

Under the 325-million-euro (350 million US dollar) deal, Lufthansa takes an initial 41% stake in ITA, formerly Alitalia, from the Italian government, gaining full control by 2033 with a total investment of 829 million euros.

The remaining 59% will initially continue to be held by the Italian Treasury.

Lufthansa executives have set the stage for a 2025 break even budgetary plan, meant to consolidate the newly acquired company.

The long term strategy stretches toward 2026 and 2027, where new employment in the former Italian company might take place.

Lufthansa plans to acquire up to 90% of ITA within the next couple years.

Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa CEO, said the long-term goal was to increase this to 100%.



AP video by Paolo Lucariello, production by Paolo Santalucia


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