en.Wedoany.com Reported - Lufthansa will exercise its option to acquire a majority stake in ITA Airways in June, increasing its shareholding from 41% to 90%. Lufthansa will pay €325 million for this, with approval from EU and US antitrust authorities expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027. ITA Airways CEO Jörg Eberhart stated in an interview with AeroTime that the Rome-Fiumicino hub is growing at an annual rate of approximately 5%, significantly higher than the European average, and the long-haul fleet will expand from 23 to 30 aircraft within the next four years. ITA Airways currently operates six Airbus A350-900s, 16 A330-900s, and its last A330-200, which will soon be replaced by the 17th A330-900.

All seven additional long-haul aircraft will be Airbus A350-900s. Eberhart clarified that no final decision has been made yet, but between the A330-900 and A350-900, the company favors the A350-900. He believes the A350-900 is more versatile than the A330-900, particularly in terms of range, making it well-suited for ITA Airways' long-term plans. Over the next decade, the company plans to replace its entire A330-900 long-haul fleet with A350-900s.

Within the Lufthansa Group, leisure airline Discover Airlines also prefers the A350-900 to explore new, longer-haul destinations such as South America. Starting from mid-2027, Lufthansa will transfer four used A350-900s to Discover Airlines; from 2029, the airline will also receive nine new A350-900s from the group's order. Eberhart hopes ITA Airways can also secure one or two A350-900s from Lufthansa's order, and discussions between the two parties are ongoing. According to industry insiders, due to the production line being sold out, Airbus can only offer delivery slots after 2034 for new customers.

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