ITA Airways has received official approval to begin its integration into Star Alliance, following a decision by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB), which brings together the CEOs of its 25 member airlines.
ITA Airways started its integration with the Lufthansa Group back in February 2025, revealing more detailed plans for incorporating the newly acquired Italian airline into its global operations.
Most recently, Germany’s Lufthansa Group announced that, from summer 2025, all ITA Airways flights at Frankfurt and Munich airports will be managed from Lufthansa terminals.
On April 2, 2025, ITA Airways announced that completing the integration “paves the way for its entry into the world’s largest airline alliance,” and noted that the onboarding process will now move at “full throttle”.
“In early 2026, ITA Airways is expected to officially join the Star Alliance network as a full member,” said Theo Panagiotoulias, the CEO of Star Alliance. “The decision underscores the strong confidence our members have in ITA Airways. As a gateway for Italy, its addition strengthens our global network.”
Joerg Eberhart, the CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways, said that the airline “looks forward to offering our customers the future privileges of the world’s largest airline network.”
ITA Airways plans to introduce 360 daily flights to the alliance network. The biggest growth will come from its home cities, especially Rome and Milan, which are already connected by 16 Star Alliance members.
Once the integration process is complete, the network will expand to 26 member airlines, offering more than 18,000 daily flights across 192 countries. ITA Airways will be the fifth hub airline of the Lufthansa Group to join this alliance.
