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Italy Starts Talks with Lufthansa to Sell Minority Stake of ITA

  • Lufthansa aims to buy remaining shares “at a later date”
  • Italy’s finance ministry signed letter of intent Friday
An Airbus A320-216 operated by ITA Airways.

An Airbus A320-216 operated by ITA Airways.

Source: NurPhoto/Getty Images

Italy initiated talks with Deutsche Lufthansa AG to sell a minority stake of ITA Airways, the successor of Alitalia SpA, in a move that may kick off aviation industry consolidation in Europe.

Italy’s finance ministry on Friday signed a letter of intent with the German carrier, the government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a statement. The administration won’t provide additional details on the talks, it said.