The top management of the Lufthansa aviation Group declared in the past few hours that the talks between the German airline and the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) are on the right track: the exclusive negotiation for the privatization of the ITA Airways flag will be finalized in the next few days (deadline May 12). This was announced yesterday during a meeting with the shareholders of the Cologne company. 

"The diversity of our airline group is not a weakness", it is indeed a strategic success factor and the acquisition of ITA Airways is "the further development of this strategy", said the managing director of Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, according to reports from the German business daily "Handelsblatt". 

Considering that ITA Airways will be Lufthansa's 12th brand, during the meeting some shareholders criticized the growing diversification of the German group, asking for clarifications: will it be a premium or low-cost company? Spohr replied that ITA is a "well positioned" new company and that Italy is the largest foreign market for Lufthansa, which will therefore become "even more international". The privatization of the Italian company therefore generates "good prospects", which will consolidate the Group "in global competition".