ITA Airways’ board of directors have approved a new business plan which will see the airline expand its long-haul offering, renew its current fleet of aircraft and strengthen ties with the Lufthansa Group.
The 2026-2030 business plan will see ITA launch new routes from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport to destinations across the Atlantic, Asia and Africa. In June, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that ITA was considering launching over a dozen new international routes over the next five years to the US, Asia and Africa, adding that some routes will be "obvious choices," dictated by the presence of a partner at the destination, who can ensure onward connections.
ITA stated that this network expansion will help promote inbound tourism to Italy, while the also targeting expansion within Europe and the Mediterranean region.
The airline noted that this network strategy is designed with flexibility, enabling adaptation to market trends, regulatory and economic changes, and evolving geopolitical dynamics, which will be continuously monitored.
“With the expansion of our network, the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, partnerships with major global players, and our commitment to service excellence, we will be able by 2030 to bring more and more passengers - departing to and from Italy - to choose ITA Airways,” said Joerg Eberhart, CEO and general manager of ITA Airways. “This will create attractive job opportunities and generate a positive economic impact for the air transport industry.”
The plan also details the addition of one new long-haul aircraft each year starting in 2026, as part of a strategy to introduce next-generation aircraft while gradually retiring older aircraft from the airline’s fleet.
ITA’s fleet is expected to average around 100 aircraft, which by 2030 will be entirely composed of new-generation models.
Over the five-year period, operational and strategic synergies with the Lufthansa Group are also set to deepen, with the airline anticipating significant benefits in both revenue growth and cost efficiency. In January, the Lufthansa Group closed a €325 million deal to acquire a 41% stake in ITA. The Italian airline is now officially part of the Lufthansa Group, becoming the group's fifth network airline.
The roadmap also includes full integration into the Star Alliance by early 2026, pending regulatory approval of joint ventures for transatlantic routes and flights between Europe and Japan.