Why The EU Commission Is Investigating Lufthansa’s ITA Purchase

On November 30, 2023, Germany's Lufthansa informed the European Commission of its intention to purchase part of Italy's revived national airline, ITA Airways. The European aviation market is already dominated by airline groups like Air France-KLM, the International Airlines Group, and the Lufthansa Group, which also owns Brussels Airlines, Austrian Airlines and SWISS, among others. The airline group's control over the continent's aviation industry worries the European Commission, especially in Italy's desperation for a strong, financially stable, independent national carrier.