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MILAN (AP) — The European Commission on Tuesday announced an in-depth investigation of German airline Lufthansa’s planned takeover of Italian carrier ITA Airways, citing competitive concerns. Lufthansa signed a deal last year for a 41% minority share in the long-struggling ITA Airways, formerly Alitalia. The deal calls for a 325-million-euro ($354 million) investment by Lufthansa, and another 250 million euros ($272 million) from the Italian Finance Ministry. The European Commission cited concerns about reduced competition on short-haul flights between Italy and Central Europe and long-haul routes between Italy and the United States, Canada, Japan and India. ITA Airways and Lufthansa compete on the Central European flights, where low-cost players generally serve secondary airports.

Persons: Gregory Alegi, bailouts, ’ Alegi Organizations: MILAN, European Commission, Lufthansa’s, Italian, ITA Airways, Lufthansa, Alitalia, Italian Finance Ministry, Central, ITA, Air Canada, United, European Union, LUISS University Locations: Italy, Central Europe, United States, Canada, Japan, India, Milan’s Linate

France, where Ryanair serves cities such as Marseille and Bordeaux, has floated proposals for a minimum ticket price in an effort to reduce pollution from aviation. The French price proposal, which EU officials said has drawn some support from the Netherlands and Belgium, got short shrift from senior Ryanair executive Eddie Wilson. Having established a strong position in large parts of Western Europe, Ryanair is now looking east to countries such as Poland for further growth. Europe's main airlines lobby group expressed relief and called on more European coordination to support the sector. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr has said a stronger ITA will reinvigorate competition in the Italian market but Ryanair's Wilson is unperturbed, describing ITA as a sideshow.

Persons: Eddie Wilson, Wilson, Andrea Giuricin, Giorgia, Giuseppe Cocuzza, Ourania Georgoutsakou, Carsten Spohr, Ryanair's Wilson, Rome Fiumicino, Sacbo, Angelo Amante, Keith Weir, Joanna Plucinska, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Ryanair, Europe's, European Union, Ryanair DAC, Alitalia, TRA Consulting, European Commission, Airlines for, ITA, Lufthansa, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Thomson Locations: Italy, ROME, France, Marseille, Bordeaux, Sicily, Sardinia, Netherlands, Belgium, Europe, Western Europe, Poland, Rome, Catania, Airlines for Europe, Bergamo, Milan, Malpensa, Brescia, London

I really feel I’m taking care of this place,” Biagiotti Cigna said in a recent interview with The Associated Press inside the castle walls. “There was so much energy here in the Renaissance and I really feel that the Ryder Cup is a new renaissance for Marco Simone,” Biagiotti Cigna said. “We cannot handle having so many visitors — 300,000 people is a little too complicated to handle,” Biagiotti Cigna said. “But right after the Ryder Cup, visitors who come and play Marco Simone, by booking in advance, will be able to visit the fashion house as well. “(After) the Ryder Cup there will be an opportunity to embrace a new experience of golf, culture, fashion, food and archeology.”___

Persons: GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, —, Marco Simone, Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna, Biagiotti, ” Biagiotti Cigna, Simone dei Tebaldi, Galileo Galilei, Biagiotti Cigna, “, ” Biagiotti, Delia, ”, Delia Soldaini Biagiotti, Laura Biagiotti, It’s, Lara Arias, Henrik Stenson, Luke Donald, Stenson, LIV, Cigna Organizations: Associated Press, sport’s, Ryder Locations: Italy, Rome, Italian, China, Saudi

☆ Famed Italian dealmaker and Piaggio CEO Colaninno dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Roberto Colaninno attends the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Vespa Primavera scooter at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, Italy, April 19, 2018. REUTERS/ Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Entrepreneur Roberto Colaninno, chairman and CEO of scooter maker Piaggio and one of Italy's best-known dealmakers, has died, his investment company IMMSI said on Saturday. He is most famous for his surprise $58 billion leveraged buyout of Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) in 1999, at the time the world's largest hostile takeover. In 2003, after his efforts to take over carmaker Fiat were rebuffed, he turned his attention to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa scooter, which had fallen on hard times. Colaninno ditched the firm's loss-making computer unit and focused on the telephone business - which he subsequently used as a vehicle to launch the Telecom Italia bid.

Persons: Roberto Colaninno, Alessandro Bianchi, IMMSI, Colaninno, Carlo De Benedetti, De Benedetti, Olivetti, Matteo, Michele, Oretta, Crispian Balmer, David Holmes Organizations: Primavera, Piaggio Museum, REUTERS, Rights, Piaggio, Telecom Italia, Pirelli, Fiat, Alitalia, Thomson Locations: Pontedera, Italy, Asia, India, China, Vietnam, Fiamm, Europe

☆ Rome Fiumicino seen as Lufthansa's new southern hub after ITA deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Angelo Amante | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shares in Lufthansa were down 0.2% on Friday, a day after the airline and the Italian Treasury announced the ITA deal. A report from TRA consulting firm says some 43 million people travelled through Rome Fiumicino in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak, and the airport has potential to become an even stronger hub for the Mediterranean area. His report said this is due to the weakness of the national airline, and the integration of ITA into the Lufthansa group might help Fiumicino become an hub for travellers heading to the Americas. Lufthansa, which already operates the brands Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines, said it would look to feed more passengers into Fiumicino airport. Analysts believe Lufthansa has good chances to boost Fiumicino, after fostering development of other airports it entered after its previous takeovers.

☆ Lufthansa sale is ironic end to Italy airline saga
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, May 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Italy’s epic airline soap opera has found a paradoxical end. After multiple sale attempts by Italian governments of all political leanings, plus over 10 billion euros of wasted state support, it’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – an avowed nationalist – who is cutting the umbilical cord with the country’s state-owned national carrier. The state will inject 250 million euros of equity in ITA before Lufthansa buys its initial minority stake. At 0.3 times projected 2023 revenue of 2.5 billion euros, the overall price tag is cheaper than the 0.5 times Lufthansa currently trades at, and also than the 1 billion euro-plus levels mooted last year. But Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr is still scooping up a supposed national treasure at an undemanding price.

☆ Sale of Italy's MPS should help create several big banks, says Meloni
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Monte dei Paschi (MPS), of which the government owns 64% following a 2017 bailout, is seen playing a pivotal role in the consolidation expected among Italy's mid-sized lenders. After failing to clinch a sale of MPS to UniCredit (CRDI.MI) in 2021, the government is expected to seek another bank interested in buying its stake in the Tuscan lender. The government has just decided to renew Luigi Lovaglio's mandate as MPS chief executive for another term. We confirmed Lovaglio at the helm of Monte dei Paschi, the CEO successfully led the last capital increase, and now we must work to bring Monte back to the private market," Meloni said. "The government will not intervene, it is alert to check that there are no situations that jeopardise the national interest," Meloni told the newspaper.

BRUSSELS, March 27 (Reuters) - Alitalia, the predecessor of Italian state-owned airline ITA Airways, will have to repay a 400 million-euro ($430 million) loan to the Italian government because the money breached EU state aid rules, EU competition authorities said on Monday. Italy granted the loan in 2019, two years after giving a 900 million-euro loan to keep the loss-making company operating. The European Commission, which acts as the competition watchdog in the 27-country bloc, subsequently ruled that both loans constituted illegal state aid. The Commission had in 2021 it ordered Alitalia to repay the 900-million-euro illegal loan. Successive governments pumped an estimated 10 billion euros into Alitalia to keep it afloat in its last 14 years of life, despite heavy losses and bad management.

☆ Europe is trying to move from planes to trains. Here's how that's going
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Miquel Ros | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Aviation emissions in Europe increased an average of 5% year-on-year between 2013 and 2019, according to the EU. Not surprisingly these moves have set alarm bells ringing in the aviation industry. “For many decision-makers, banning short-haul flights and showing support to the rail industry is an easy win to gain favor with the public, especially in Europe,” Montserrat Barriga, the ERA’s director general, told CNN. “Governments continue ignoring the biggest source of aviation emissions – long-haul flights, that remain unpriced and unregulated,” says T&E’s Dardenne. Better connectivity between intercity rail and airports would also reduce the need for short-haul flights.

LISBON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Europe was entering an "inevitable" post-pandemic period of airline consolidation as legacy flag-carriers struggle to navigate through a competitive landscape, the chief executive of low-cost carrier Ryanair (RYA.I) said on Wednesday. "We are definitely, post-COVID, entering a four or five-year period of consolidation," Ryanair's Michael O'Leary told Reuters on the sidelines of a news briefing in Portugal's capital Lisbon. Many of Europe's legacy airlines are finding it tough to effectively compete with budget carriers, hampered by weak balance sheets that could be made more robust by merging with rivals, analysts have said. Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and British Airways owner IAG are potential buyers, according to analysts. O'Leary said he believed the sector in Europe would move towards having four large airlines: Lufthansa, Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA), IAG and and Ryanair.

☆ Italy, Lufthansa sign letter of intent over ITA minority stake sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Planes of German air carrier Lufthansa are parked as Lufthansa pilots start a strike over a wage dispute, at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany September 2, 2022. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoROME, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury on Friday said it had signed a letter of intent with Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) over the sale of a minority stake in state-owned airline ITA Airways, paving the way for negotiations with German carrier. Last week, Lufthansa offered to buy a minority stake in the loss-making successor of Italy's Alitalia, saying Italy was a prominent market both for business travellers and tourists. Lufthansa said on Friday it had signed the letter of intent with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and ITA Airways. The new right-wing administration in Rome passed a decree in December to initially sell a minority stake through capital increases, to speed up a full divestment in ITA.

☆ Cellnex takeover would disrupt key strategic pivot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - A week after founder Tobias Martinez resigned from his chief executive role, Cellnex (CLNX.MC) could also lose its shareholders. Meanwhile the departure of Martinez was expected to herald a return to sobriety in a sector where low interest rates and high leverage boosted consolidation. In the age of higher interest rates, it may be time for the former predator to become prey. Okdiario hints that Cellnex’s main shareholders, led by Italy’s Benetton family with an 8% stake, are inclined to sell. Everything has a price, but the high premium needed to convince shareholders to change tack amid a strategic pivot could be hard to justify.

☆ “Angry Birds” buyout may have more levels to beat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 20 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Remember “Angry Birds”? Finland-listed Rovio Entertainment (ROVIO.HE) has used the round-headed creatures to create a long series of mobile games, two films, plush toys and more. That makes strong long-time brands like “Angry Birds” more attractive. Rovio’s share price was hovering around 7.50 euros on Friday morning, or 20% below Playtika’s bid. That’s probably because Rovio’s board, which said it learnt about the offer “nearly simultaneously” with its public release, sounded unimpressed.

☆ Jacinda Ardern gives supply shortage new meaning
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Jacinda Ardern has risen to the top of headhunters’ must-call list. Her contacts, international profile, and social-justice nous are skills corporates, charities and supranational organisations treasure in board members and advisers. Her administration’s push to legalise abortion and to enact climate change legislation gives her serious ESG clout. (By Antony Currie)Follow @Breakingviews on Twitter(The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Lufthansa has offered to buy an initial minority stake in ITA, Italy's state-owned successor to Alitalia, it said on Wednesday. "This may be the next step in European airline consolidation," said Bernstein analyst Alex Irving, citing Portugal's national airline, TAP, as a prime target. Lufthansa, Air-France KLM (AIRF.PA) and British Airways owner IAG (ICAG.L) are potential buyers, analysts said. "At the same time, however, we closely monitor consolidation in the European airline market." Michael O'Leary, the outspoken CEO of fellow low-cost airline Ryanair (RYA.I), also weighed in with his predictions this week.

☆ Lufthansa Bids to Buy Stake in Alitalia’s Successor, Betting on Air Travel Recovery
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Mauro Orru | Benjamin Katz | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lufthansa wants to expand in Italy because of its importance as one of Europe’s biggest economies and most popular vacation destinations. Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG said it had submitted a bid to buy a stake in ITA Airways, the Italian carrier formerly known as Alitalia, in a bet on the continued recovery in air travel. Lufthansa said Wednesday it was seeking exclusive talks with the Italian government to initially acquire a minority stake in ITA Airways, with an option to buy the remaining shares at a later date. The move comes after a consortium including Air France-KLM Group and Delta Air Lines Inc. failed to reach a deal to buy a stake in ITA after entering talks last year.

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-Planes of German air carrier Lufthansa are parked as Lufthansa pilots start a strike over a wage dispute, at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, September 2, 2022. REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachROME/FRANKFURT, Jan 18 (Reuters) - German carrier Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said on Wednesday it had offered to buy an minority stake in ITA Airways, betting on reviving the loss-making successor to Italy's Alitalia and expanding its footprint in Europe. One of the sources said it was valued at 200-300 million euros ($540 million). The new right-wing administration in Rome passed a decree in December to initially sell a minority stake through capital increases, in order to speed up a full divestment in ITA. "Acquiring ITA is one of the most challenging propositions in European aviation: the airline has been persistently loss-making," said Bernstein analyst Alex Irving.

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-Planes of German air carrier Lufthansa are parked as Lufthansa pilots start a strike over a wage dispute, at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany, September 2, 2022. REUTERS/Kai PfaffenbachBERLIN/ROME, Jan 18 (Reuters) - German carrier Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) said on Wednesday it had offered to buy an initial minority stake in ITA Airways, Italy's state-owned successor to Alitalia. Lufthansa said Italy is the most important market outside of its existing home markets and the United States, noting its prominence as both a business and tourism destination. The move comes after the new right-wing administration in Rome passed a decree in December to initially sell a minority stake through capital increases, in order to speed up a full divestment in ITA. Beside its domestic German business, Lufthansa already operates the brands Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines.

☆ Activist investing cries out for some pushback
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The number of aggressive investing campaigns led by firms such as Paul Singer’s Elliott Management and Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management swelled last year, including from a record arrival of rookie practitioners. It represents a 36% increase from 2021 and the busiest year since 2018, when there were 249. There were also 55 first-time activists last year, who initiated more than a third of the campaigns. If the result is no better than a coin flip, it gives shareholders and boards fresh reason to question an activist’s arrival. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Lufthansa offers Alitalia heir last chance to fly
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Jan 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Lufthansa’s (LHAG.DE) boss Carsten Spohr is trying to catch Alitalia’s successor before it crashes. But Italian media and sources familiar with the situation have said the Germans could inject 300 million euros for a 40% stake. That would value ITA at 750 million euros, much less than the lofty 1.2 billion euro valuation that shipping giant MSC, a former Lufthansa ally, was prepared to pay a year ago. Bidders for Alitalia and its successor have come and gone, contributing to the Italian state burning over 10 billion euros of taxpayers’ money in multiple bailouts. Lufthansa, which considers Italy an attractive tourist market, could revamp the smaller carrier by linking it to its network of global routes.

Lufthansa declined to comment on Rome's decision to offer an initial minority stake. Some of Italy's politicians consider ITA as the heir to cultural icon Alitalia, which they want to preserve. Some also say that ITA does not have to worry so much about losing its national identity should Lufthansa take over. The Certares-led alliance was willing to pay 350 million euros for a 50% stake plus one share of the state-controlled airline, sources had said. ($1 = 0.9412 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Joanna Plucinska in London; additional reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome.

[1/5] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a news conference to present her government's first budget in Rome, Italy, November 22, 2022. Meloni, a fiery conviction politician, has often spoken out against Italy's reliance on technocrats to solve its economic problems and lambasted alleged interference from "high international finance" and "Brussels bureaucrats". During the election campaign Meloni called in vain for her predecessor Mario Draghi to freeze the sale of a majority stake in ITA. PUSHBACKDeputy Economy and Finance Minister Maurizio Leo, an adviser to Meloni, had proposed splitting his ministry by hiving off the finance department responsible for tax matters. The head of the finance department, Fabrizia Lapecorella, has asked to move to another ministry, two sources said.

☆ Italy to press ahead with plans to sell ITA despite MSC snub
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Italy's government will press ahead with plans to sell a majority stake in airline ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Tuesday, after shipping group MSC dropped its interest. "We are open to anybody who wants to participate in the privatisation," Giorgetti told a news conference, adding ITA Airways's data room is "always open." Shipping group MSC, which had partnered with German airline Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) earlier this year to bid for ITA, said on Monday it was no longer interested in the transaction. On the other hand, a Lufthansa spokesman said last week that the German carrier was still interested in buying into ITA. The Treasury plans to privatise ITA through a direct sale while retaining a minority, non-controlling stake in the initial stage.

☆ Lufthansa still interested in buying into ITA Airways
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) is still interested in buying into state-controlled Italian carrier ITA Airways, a spokesman said on Friday, despite reports that its original partner in the mooted deal had pulled out. The spokesman declined to comment on reports that it had entered ITA's so-called data room to review the financial status of the company. Italy in August picked a group led by U.S. private equity fund Certares, backed by Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N), for exclusive talks on buying a majority stake in ITA Airways. Complicating the situation, a senior MSC executive, Pierfrancesco Vago, told investors in Doha last week that MSC was no longer interested in ITA Airways, according to Swiss magazine Travel Inside. Certares had no contact with ITA Airways and Italy's Treasury since the end of October, a source close to the matter said.

☆ Italy names former Treasury official to head ITA Airways
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Remo CasilliROME, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The Italian economy ministry on Wednesday said it would appoint former Treasury official Antonino Turicchi as chairman of state-owned carrier ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia. At ITA Airways, he will take the place of Alfredo Altavilla, who resigned earlier this month after a clash with several board members over strategy to complete the privatisation of the airline. The exclusivity period ended last month but talks over a potential sale agreement are continuing. Confirming a Reuters report on Tuesday, the Treasury said in a statement it would appoint Turicchi at an ITA Airways shareholders' meeting on Wednesday. Turicchi had recently been indicated by political sources as a potential candidate to replace Alessandro Rivera as director-general of the Treasury.

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