ITA Airways has received an expression of interest (EOI) from German airline Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) and shipping and logistics company, MSC Group to acquire a majority stake in the Alitalia successor.
According to an official ITA Airways statement dated January 24, 2022, MSC Group and Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) forged a partnership to pitch for a majority stake in the airline. The remaining share will be controlled by the Italian Government.
The bidders have requested a 90-day period to firm up the details of the EOI. Afterwards, the terms of the partnership between MSC Group and Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) will be referred to ITA’s Board of Directors for further examination.
ITA says: “The MSC Group has agreed with Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) its participation in the partnership on terms to be defined during the Due Diligence.”
The airline added: “ITA Airways is satisfied that the work carried out in recent months to offer the best prospects to the company is starting to have the expected results, providing for a company recognized as viable for partners of international reputation both in passenger and cargo transport.”
On January 25, 2022, Italy’s state-owned flag carrier also announced the launch of a new codeshare agreement with Latvian flag carrier, airBaltic. The move is expected to help both airlines expand their network with direct flights connecting Riga (RIX) and destinations in Italy, including Rome (FCO) and Milan (MXP). The carriers agreed to include designator codes BT and AZ on flights between Italy and Latvia during the current winter season and the 2022 summer season.