Lufthansa’s Jörg Eberhart new top executive ITA Airways

German Jörg Eberhart, a manager at Lufthansa, will become the new CEO of ITA Airways, the state-owned airline that emerged from bankrupt Alitalia. The Italian state’s designation thus also formalizes the German group’s entry into ITA Airways’ capital.

Italian Lorenza Maggio, vice president of sales of Lufthansa for Europa, the Middle East, and Africa, will become the new chairman of the board of directors.

Largest acquisition

Jörg Eberhart, 54, the Chief Strategy Officer of Lufthansa, headed another Italian Lufthansa company, Air Dolomiti, from 2014 to 2021. Interestingly, Eberhart also holds a pilot’s license for the Airbus A320.

“This new phase in the company’s history will allow us to strengthen our position and develop strategic synergies that will strengthen the growth and solidity of ITA Airways as the Italian reference carrier,” Eberhart said after his appointment.

Coming a long way

The long-awaited marriage between Rome and Lufthansa has come a long way. In the first step, Lufthansa acquired a 41% minority stake in ITA Airways, born from the ashes of state-owned airline Alitalia, through a 325-million-euro capital increase. The Lufthansa Group also has an option to later fully acquire ITA for a total price of 829 million euros.

Lufthansa has officially taken control of ITA at the operational level, even though the Italian state retains the right to oversee strategic decisions. The newly appointed board of directors has five members, including Eberhart.

According to Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, ITA is the largest acquisition in the company’s history. Italy is now the second largest foreign market after the United States for Lufthansa.