ITA Airways chair Antonino Turicchi is hopeful the Italian carrier can secure final approval for its protracted acquisition by Lufthansa Group from the outgoing European Commission before the year-end.
ITA’s owner, the Italian finance ministry, earlier this month submitted the final documents to the Commission covering the German group’s planned acquisition of a 41% stake in the Italian airline – first agreed 18 months ago. That includes details of the takers of slots given up as part of remedies offered up by the partners – and conditionally accepted – to address Commission competition concerns resulting from the tie-up.
Speaking on the sidelines of the IATA Wings of Change Europe conference in Rome today, Turicchi said: ”We hope that the process will be completed with the current Commission and hopefully this can happen before the end of the year.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, who is leading a second term of the Commission, is working to secure European Parliament support for the proposed commissioners in time for a hoped start of a new term from early December.
“We think at this moment on the desk of the Commission there is all the elements [they need] and we think they can take the decision shortly,” adds Turicchi.
