EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday opened an in-depth investigation into Lufthansa’s bid for a minority stake in Italian state-owned ITA Airways, saying the deal may reduce competition in flights to and from Italy.
Lufthansa wants to acquire a 41% stake in ITA for 325 million euros ($353.2 million) as part of a capital increase.
The European Commission said the deal may reduce competition in the market for passenger air transport services on several short-haul and long-haul routes.
