Air France-KLM and International Airlines Group will step in to ensure long-haul competition from Italy to North America.

Lufthansa Group's acquisition of a share in Italian carrier ITA Airways has been cleared by European competition regulators, following acceptance of remedy-taking candidates. ITA states that it "welcomes the final approval" of the transaction which involves transferring a stake held by the Italian ministry of economy and finance to the

With the Lufthansa and ITA Airways merger, whereupon the former will initially buy a 41% stake in the latter, inching closer and closer, there have been questions about how the two carriers, as well as the Lufthansa Group’s networks,

ITA Airways chair Antonino Turicchi is hopeful the Italian carrier will secure final approval for its protracted acquisition by Lufthansa Group from the outgoing European Commission before the year-end.

The European Commission has approved easyJet, International Airlines Group (IAG), and Air France-KLM as remedy takers for the Lufthansa and Italian

The European Commission said on Friday it had approved a package of remedies proposed for Lufthansa's acquisition of a minority stake in Italy's ITA Airways, in which EasyJet , IAG and Air France-KLM would secure more routes.

ROME, NOV 30 - The European Commission has given the final green light to Lufthansa's acquisition of a minority stake in Italy's ITA Airways, paving the way to the creation of the largest airline group in Europe.

The European Commission has authorised the entry of Germany's Lufthansa into Italian state-owned ITA Airways after more than a year of negotiations. With the package of remedies proposed by the German carrier,