Following Lufthansa's reported plans to acquire part of ITA Airways, a selection of SkyTeam members also now appear to have taken an interest in the newly-reformed Italian flag carrier. Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM have put their intentions in writing to the Italian government, and hope to acquire a majority stake in ITA.

New interest

Despite only commencing operations in October 2021, ITA Airways, which replaced Italian flag carrier Alitalia, hit the headlines last month when the Italian government prepared to put it on sale. The prospect of owning part of the national airline of a country with such strategic importance has got several carriers interested.

The latest of these, as reported this morning by Reuters, are said to be SkyTeam heavyweights Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM. They are said to have financial backing from an international fund, to the extent that they are reportedly looking to acquire a majority stake in ITA. This contrasts with Lufthansa's minority approach.

Reuters notes that reports have emerged in the Italian media via a government source that Delta and Air France-KLM expressed their interest in a written document submitted to the Italian government. Italy has also received such an expression from another international fund that has previously invested in the low-cost market.

UPDATE: 2022/03/10 12:55 UTC BY JAKE HARDIMAN

Delta shares statement

A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines told Simple Flying that:

"Delta is in regular contact with the leadership of ITA Airways. Delta has a longstanding history with the former Alitalia and has created a partnership with ITA Airways which Delta is committed to strengthening.

UPDATE: 2022/03/11 13:24 UTC BY JAKE HARDIMAN

KLM shares statement

A spokesperson for KLM told Simple Flying:

"Air France-KLM, Delta, and Virgin Atlantic are committed to fostering closer ties with ITA and building upon the successful commercial partnership the airlines have formed."

Strengthening Skyteam bonds

An aspect that could favor Delta and Air France-KLM's case for acquiring a majority stake in ITA Airways is that all of the airlines involved are members of the SkyTeam alliance. As such, they are already used to working together, which could allow for a smoother transition. Indeed, Air France, KLM, and Delta are three of the airlines with which ITA already has codeshare agreements in place.

Reuters notes that Air France-KLM and Delta have stated, alongside Virgin Atlantic, that they hope "to deepen [their] cooperation, including potential associate membership of the airlines' expanded joint venture launched in 2020." As such, their commitment to working with the Italian flag carrier's management remains strong.

Of course, if Delta and Air France-KLM were to succeed in acquiring a majority stake in ITA, this would foster increased connectivity between the respective airlines' networks, perhaps even more so than the existing codeshare agreements. The strategic importance of the Italian market certainly isn't lost on the world's leading airlines, with Lufthansa also having made a note of this aspect.

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What might this mean for Lufthansa?

Those who have been following the story of ITA's sale for a while will know that Lufthansa is also interested in acquiring part of the airline. This first emerged in January 2022, with the German flag carrier reportedly targeting a minority stake of 40%. However, as Simple Flying reported earlier this week, the MSC Group, a Swiss-Italian shipping line, wants to acquire a majority stake alongside this.

This could pose a threat to Delta and Air France-KLM, who, as we have established, have similar aims. If this group of airlines was successful in investing in ITA, it would be interesting to see what this would mean for Lufthansa.

After all, if the stake was under 60%, there would still be space for the carrier's planned minority share. However, regardless of space, Lufthansa's Star Alliance membership might prevent the SkyTeam majority from wanting to work with them.

What do you make of Delta and Air France-KLM's plans with ITA? Who would you like to see invest in the Italian flag carrier? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.