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ITA-Lufthansa offer may assist long-haul, business travel in Rome, airport CEO says

Rome Fiumicino airport sees room to grow as a hub for longhaul flights and company travelers after Lufthansa won European Union approval to purchase a. stake in ITA Airways, its CEO told Reuters.

The German carrier got approval last month for its strategy to. take a 41% stake in ITA for 325 million euros ($ 355 million). after a long negotiation with Brussels, which involved ceding. routes and slots to competitors to deal with competitors issues.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr stated in July that he believed. Fiumicino, where ITA is based, might give the German group. much better access to markets in Africa and Latin America.

We expect a more strengthening in the quality of our. traffic, Marco Troncone, the CEO of Rome airport operator. Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), told Reuters in an interview.

ITA, which took to the air in 2021, changed the former. Italian provider Alitalia as a much smaller business which handled. to restrict losses and raise earnings.

Troncone said that while long-haul paths are fast growing,. the hub capacity is still under-exploited considering where. it lies. He stated Fiumicino might also be a hub towards the. Middle East, main Europe and parts of Asia.

A research study by TRA consulting firm states ITA Airways had a market. share lower than 10% for global flights in 2023 in. Italy, with the figure approximated at 10-12% this year.

ITA will also have a chance to reinforce its sales. efficiency through the Lufthansa network and pertinent. channels and expand business section, Troncone stated, including. the German company's network will also help to draw more. passengers from outside Europe.

Troncone also predicts a boost in ITA and Lufthansa's ground. operations and said discussions were already continuous with ITA to. broaden its lounge centers at the airport.

Fiumicino is Italy's largest airport with over 40. million passengers in 2023 and is seeing strong growth in 2024,. ADR stated. ADR is controlled by Italian infrastructure group. Mundys.

Fiumicino expects 90 million guests by 2046, which. will require a further growth of facilities at the site,. which lies to the south-west of central Rome and near the. coast.

Many other airports in Europe have a physical. restriction on expansion. You can prepare a long-term investment. here, Troncone stated.

(source: Reuters)