ITA Airways, Italy’s flag carrier and the successor to Alitalia, has received approval to begin the integration process into Star Alliance. The news comes after a vote by the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board (CEB).
ITA Airways Will Fully Integrate Into Star Alliance in 2026
This news doesn’t come as much of a surprise as it has been widely reported that the Italian carrier planned to leave SkyTeam and join Star Alliance in 2026. This comes after Lufthansa Group, a founding member of Star Alliance, announced plans to purchase ITA Airways in 2024.
Star Alliance Chief Executive Officer Theo Panagiotoulias, said this about the approval:
“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 travelers worldwide.”
Joerg Eberhart, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways, added:
“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.”
Once the airline is fully integrated into Star Alliance, it will add 360 daily flights to the alliance’s network, further strengthening it’s position in Europe. Lufthansa Group is the parent company of Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS, and Brussels Airlines, all of which are Star Alliance members.
With the integration, Star Alliance will grow to 26 member airlines offering 18,000 daily flights to 192 countries. Current Star Alliance members are Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air India, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAP Air Portugal, THAI, Turkish Airlines, and United.
ITA Airways Integration Into Lufthansa Group
While ITA Airways won’t join Star Alliance until 2026, the carrier is already being integrated into Lufthansa Group. This includes:
- Adopting Miles & More as its loyalty program, replacing its existing loyalty program Volare.
- Linking route networks via codesharing to allow customers to book travel across the group’s airlines. This will create over 1,000 new transfer options and open up more options to South America, North Africa, and the Middle East.
- Mutually accessible lounges; eligible passengers across the Lufthansa Group network.
- Rome-Fiumicino (FCO) becomes group’s 6th official hub (after Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, and Brussels).
I’m excited to see ITA join Star Alliance as I hold top tier status with them via a status match promotion. This status wasn’t much use when they were a pseudo-member of SkyTeam prior to Lufthansa’s purchase but, once the alliance integration is complete, it should give me Star Alliance Gold status if I can extend my ITA status.
I’ve only flown with the airline once, on a quick hop from Brussels to Rome, but I had an enjoyable experience and would fly with them again.
Summary
ITA Airways has received approval to begin the integration process into Star Alliance. The Italian flag carrier will become the alliance’s 26th member once the integration is completed in 2026.
