With Lufthansa Group drawing ITA Airways further in its clutches, its time for the airline to commence the move from SkyTeam to Star Alliance.
ITA Airways has officially received approval to start the integration process into Star Alliance following a verdict by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB).
Building on its induction into the Lufthansa Group earlier this year, this decision paves the way for its entry into the alliance, with onboarding of the airline to proceed.
ITA Airways will add 360 daily flights to the Alliance network, further strengthening the Alliance’s footprint in the European region. The biggest growth will come from its home cities, especially Rome and Milan, which are currently served by 16 Star Alliance members collectively.
To support its entry into the alliance, Lufthansa Group is mentoring ITA Airways through its integration journey into Star Alliance. Once inducted into the alliance, ITA Airways will be the alliance’s 26th member airline, offering over 18,000 daily flights connecting 192 countries.
In Quotes
Star Alliance Chief Executive Officer Theo Panagiotoulias stated:
“In early 2026, ITA Airways is expected to officially join the Star Alliance network as a full member. The decision by our Chief Executive Board underscores the strong confidence our members have in ITA Airways. As a gateway for Italy, its addition strengthens our global network, offering seamless and connected journeys to more travellers worldwide.”
Joerg Eberhart, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways, said:
“We are excited to join the Star Alliance network and to bring the excellence of Made in Italy into the alliance, further enhancing its global reach. This is a significant milestone in ITA Airways’ growth, and we look forward to offering our customers the future privileges of the world’s largest airline network.”
Dieter Vranckx, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lufthansa Group concluded
“I am proud that ITA Airways will become the fifth hub airline of the Lufthansa Group to join Star Alliance. As the mentor of the membership process, we will do our utmost to ensure a smooth and swift integration. ITA Airways’ future membership will provide Star Alliance customers with many new opportunities for personalised travel planning. I am confident that ITA Airways will be an excellent addition to the Star Alliance portfolio”
Building connections
Whilst the integration piece continues, ITA Airways has been busy, col-locating at Frankfurt and Munich.
In Frankfurt, the Italian airline moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1, which is used by the Lufthansa Group. Since ITA Airways will also be flying from gate areas A and B in the future, passengers will benefit from significantly shorter distances and thus shorter transfer times. ITA Airways passengers can also reach the Deutsche Bahn long-distance train station with ICE high-speed train connections quickly and easily from Terminal 1.
In Munich, ITA Airways moved from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 and its satellite. This terminal is operated by a joint venture between Lufthansa and Munich Airport.
For ITA Airways passengers, it is still business as usual otherwise – until the formal exit date from SkyTeam is confirmed.
Just with a little more Lufthansa love.
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I am flying ITA on May 18, YYZ-FCO-DEL. When I booked the itinerary, I elected to have the miles credited to my Flying Blue account. The last I read, AZ was leaving SkyTeam on April 30 and wouldn’t officially join Star Alliance until 2026. Do you have any insight on if the miles for my flights will still be credited to AF/KL?
With thanks,
ITA sent me my new Executive elite membership card, which is nice I suppose except that I don’t get any alliance elite benefits which rather negates the value of membership.