ITA Airways Starts Star Alliance Integration

Lufthansa Group has provided another update on the integration of ITA Airways into the group, with the Italian airline, which will leave SkyTeam on April 30, receiving executives’ approval to join Star Alliance.

Approval to join Star Alliance

In a statement on April 2, Lufthansa Group detailed that the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB) approved the process to start ITA Airways’ integration into the airline alliance.

Lufthansa Group and its network carriers, namely Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa, and Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS), are part of Star Alliance, with notable members being Air Canada, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, and others.

“The onboarding process will now move at full throttle,” Lufthansa Group said, adding that ITA Airways should be joining Star Alliance in early 2026. The group is helping the Italian carrier through the process, it stated.

Dieter Vranckx, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of Lufthansa Group, expressed pride that ITA Airways will become the group’s fifth network airline to join the alliance and, as the mentor of the Italian carrier, Lufthansa Group will attempt its best to ensure a smooth process.

“ITA Airways’ future membership will provide Star Alliance customers with many new opportunities for personalized travel planning. I am confident that ITA Airways will be an excellent addition to the Star Alliance portfolio.”

Adding 360 daily flights

Lufthansa Group highlighted that ITA Airways would add 360 daily flights to the Star Alliance network, strengthening the organization’s footprint in Europe, with the biggest growth stemming from Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and Milan Linate Airport (LIN).

Theo Panagiotoulias, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Star Alliance, noted the CEB’s decision to approve ITA Airways’ integration into the alliance underscored the organization’s confidence in the airline, which, as a gateway for Italy, would strengthen its network.

Meanwhile, Joerg Eberhart, the CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways, also emphasized that when the Italian airline joins the alliance, it would only expand Star Alliance’s global reach.

“This is a significant milestone in ITA Airways’ growth, and we look forward to offering our customers the future privileges of the world’s largest airline network.”

On February 3, SkyTeam confirmed that ITA Airways would be leaving the alliance on April 30, with the alliance thanking the Italian carrier for the three years of partnership and wishing the airline all the best in the future.

Continuous updates and terminal moves

Since the Germany-based airline group completed the purchase of an initial 41% stake in ITA Airways in January, Lufthansa Group has continued to provide updates on the progress of integrating the Italian carrier into its operations.

On February 3, the group detailed that, starting March 30, passengers of both entities would fly from the same terminals at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Munich Airport (MUC), gain access to their lounges, have more travel options with an expanded codeshare network, and enjoy coordinated flight schedules between the network airlines’ hubs (displayed below).

The article previously misidentified which airport ITA Airways flies from Milan, which is Linate, and not Malpensa.