Luxair challenges EU approval of Lufthansa-ITA merger

Luxembourg flag carrier Luxair said on Wednesday it had filed a legal challenge before the General Court of the European Union against the European Commission's approval of the merger between Lufthansa and ITA.

Luxair said it has no objection to the merger itself but said that as part of the remedies offered by Lufthansa, smaller carriers like Luxair had been sidelined in the allocation of landing slots at Milan Linate airport.

In November, the European Commission approved a package of remedies proposed by Lufthansa LHA for the acquisition of a minority stake in Italy's ITA Airways, in which EasyJet EZJ, IAG IAG and Air France-KLM AF would secure more routes.

Lufthansa offered the remedies after winning EU antitrust approval in July 2024 to buy 41% of state-owned ITA, the successor airline to bankrupt Alitalia, for 325 million euros ($343.6 million), in a deal designed to boost its presence in the southern European market.