Lufthansa intends to fully take over ITA Airways: CEO

German airline group Lufthansa on Friday said its goal was to take over Italian carrier ITA Airways in full, but it could not be forced to do so, after it announced it was taking on a minority stake on Thursday.

Lufthansa will take a 41% stake in ITA Airways by way of a 325 million euro ($358 million) capital increase that will flow directly to the Italian carrier, the German group said on Thursday.

That ownership stake could be extended based on how well the airline performs in the coming year, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said.