ITA Airways in 'exit phase' from SkyTeam as integration into Lufthansa begins

Italian carrier ITA Airways is leaving the SkyTeam airline alliance and will — eventually — shift to Star Alliance.

That all comes as the Lufthansa Group has officially begun the process of absorbing ITA under its umbrella, the German conglomerate said Monday.

Lufthansa finalized its acquisition of a 41% stake in state-owned ITA in January, closing a deal worth 325 million euros ($334 million). The remaining 59% will continue to be owned by the Italian government.

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"We believe strongly in the potential of ITA Airways, we believe in the strength of Italy, of its economy, of its people," Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr said at a press conference in Rome on Monday, according to Reuters.

With the purchase out of the way, Lufthansa's focus turns to integrating ITA, its fifth network airline alongside Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Swiss and the original Lufthansa. The Lufthansa Group also owns low-cost carrier Eurowings and several regional and feeder airlines.

As part of the integration, the Italian brand will switch from the SkyTeam alliance to Star Alliance, which most Luftansa Group brands already belong to. Other notable carriers among Star Alliance's 25 full members include United Airlines, Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, Avianca, Ethiopian Airlines and Singapore Airlines.

According to a separate statement, SkyTeam said it was working "to ensure a smooth transition for customers and partners during the exit phase, which concludes by 30 April 2025."

Even with the exit from SkyTeam now underway, Lufthansa said ITA is not expected to fully join Star Alliance until the first half of 2026.

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As of Monday, members of Lufthansa's frequent flyer program, Miles & More, can earn and redeem miles on ITA flights, while members of ITA's program, Volare, can earn and redeem on Lufthansa Group airlines, Lufthansa said.

It was not immediately clear whether Lufthansa would absorb the Volare program into Miles & More or keep it separate, although Lufthansa's other airlines all use Miles & More.

The next set of changes comes March 30, when the airlines begin operating their summer flight schedules.

ITA will begin codesharing with Lufthansa Group flights, allowing passengers to book connections and single bookings for multisegment flights. The codesharing will start with about 100 routes that can be booked starting Feb. 25, Lufthansa said, before expanding to more flights.

Coinciding with the codeshare, ITA will start flying out of Lufthansa's terminals at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) — Terminal 1 — and Munich Airport (MUC) — Terminal 2 — to make connections easier, Lufthansa said.

Meanwhile, ITA passengers with lounge access will be able to use Lufthansa Group lounges and vice versa starting March 30.

Even as Lufthansa brings ITA's operations within its own, the group is continuing to look for more opportunities to expand within Europe. Lufthansa agreed last week to acquire a minority stake in Latvia's airBaltic, while the group is also considering buying a stake in Spanish low-cost carrier Air Europa, Reuters reported.

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