ITA Airways to Join Lufthansa–ANA Japan Joint Venture in 2026

ITA Airways is set to join the Europe Japan joint venture operated by Lufthansa Group and All Nippon Airways from autumn 2026, a move that will deepen the Italian carrier’s integration into the German group and expand coordinated flight options between Europe and Japan.

Joint Venture Expansion Agreed at IATA Meeting

According to publicly available information from the airlines involved, the agreement for ITA Airways to enter the Europe Japan joint venture was signed on 8 June 2026 during the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro. The long standing partnership currently links Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and All Nippon Airways on routes between Europe and Japan.

The enlarged structure will keep the existing framework but add ITA Airways’ network into the coordination. Reports indicate that the joint venture already covers about 160 weekly long haul flights, with partners aligning schedules, fares and capacity across key city pairs between the two regions.

The new arrangement is scheduled to take effect in autumn 2026, subject to the necessary regulatory clearances. Until then, ITA Airways will continue to cooperate with Lufthansa Group under existing codeshare and commercial agreements that have been progressively expanded in recent years.

Industry coverage notes that the Europe Japan joint venture, originally created between Lufthansa and ANA and later joined by other Lufthansa Group carriers, is one of the largest immunised partnerships on the Europe Asia market, designed to offer coordinated products similar to a single airline on overlapping routes.

Rome Fiumicino Positioned as a Gateway to Japan

Central to ITA Airways’ entry is the inclusion of its nonstop Rome Fiumicino to Tokyo Haneda service within the joint venture. Publicly released information shows that this route will be integrated into the combined schedule and revenue sharing model alongside existing Lufthansa Group and ANA services between Europe and Japan.

Travel industry reports highlight that Rome Fiumicino is being positioned as a five star hub within the Lufthansa Group network, with the potential to capture traffic from Southern Europe, North Africa and parts of the Mediterranean connecting to Japan. By adding Rome as another European gateway in the joint venture, passengers are expected to see additional one stop options beyond the current strongholds such as Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich.

The planned structure foresees that itineraries to Japan can be constructed using ITA Airways’ short haul network into Rome coupled with the Rome Tokyo Haneda flight, or via other Lufthansa Group hubs feeding into ANA services. This is expected to increase the number of city pairs served under a common commercial umbrella and broaden schedule choices for business and leisure travellers.

Observers note that the move also reinforces Rome’s role within Star Alliance, which ITA Airways joined in 2026, as a connecting platform for traffic to and from Asia. The joint venture access to Japan complements ITA’s existing long haul growth strategy toward North America and other intercontinental markets.

Deeper Integration of ITA Airways into Lufthansa Group

The decision to bring ITA Airways into the Europe Japan joint venture comes as the Italian airline advances through a broader integration plan with Lufthansa Group. Public information from corporate announcements shows that Lufthansa initially acquired a minority stake in ITA Airways and has outlined a path toward majority control.

In parallel with the equity investment, ITA Airways has been gradually aligning its commercial strategy with that of Lufthansa Group. Over the past two years, the carriers have introduced extensive codeshare agreements on European and intercontinental routes, coordinated schedules at shared hubs and prepared the Italian airline’s transition into Star Alliance and the Miles & More loyalty ecosystem.

Analysts following the deal point out that participation in key joint ventures is a central element of Lufthansa Group’s integration model for partner airlines. ITA Airways has already indicated in corporate planning documents that joining agreements on transatlantic and Europe Japan markets is part of its 2026 2030 business plan.

By entering the joint venture with ANA and Lufthansa Group on Japan routes, ITA Airways gains access to shared revenue arrangements, joint sales initiatives and harmonised products on select services. Market commentators suggest that this can provide a more stable revenue base on long haul routes and improve competitiveness against rival alliances active between Europe and Asia.

Passenger Benefits on Europe Japan Routes

From a traveller perspective, the expanded joint venture is expected to translate into more choice of routings, aligned schedules and smoother connections. According to published coverage on the partnership, the participating airlines coordinate departure times to minimise layovers at hubs such as Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Zurich and Rome when connecting to and from Japan.

Passengers booking itineraries within the joint venture typically see integrated fares that allow travel on multiple carriers under a single ticket, with through check in of baggage and unified rebooking policies on covered sectors. The inclusion of ITA Airways is likely to increase the number of eligible combinations, especially for travellers originating in Italy, the central Mediterranean and parts of Southern Europe.

With ITA Airways now part of Star Alliance and preparing full integration into the Lufthansa Group systems, frequent flyers are also expected to benefit from more consistent mileage earning and redemption rules across the joint venture network. Lounge access and priority services are generally aligned within alliance and joint venture frameworks, and observers anticipate that these features will extend to itineraries combining ITA Airways with Lufthansa Group and ANA on Japan routes.

Travel trade analysis suggests that the joint venture’s expanded reach could be particularly attractive for corporate clients with traffic patterns between Italy, wider Europe and major Japanese cities. Contracting under a single commercial framework often allows companies to negotiate broader discounts and service commitments across multiple airlines within an alliance structure.

Competitive Impact on Europe Japan Market

The strengthened Europe Japan joint venture positions Lufthansa Group, ANA and ITA Airways more firmly against competing alliances on the same corridor. On the Europe Asia market, rival groupings already operate immunised partnerships that combine European network carriers with Japanese or other Asian airlines under coordinated strategies.

By adding ITA Airways, the Lufthansa ANA joint venture expands both its geographic footprint within Europe and its capacity to offer alternative gateways to Japan. Industry observers argue that the availability of a Rome Tokyo axis, alongside existing routes from hubs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, may shift some flows that previously connected via Northern European or Middle Eastern hubs.

Regulatory authorities typically examine such deep commercial collaborations to ensure that competition remains effective on affected city pairs. Analysts expect that the joint venture’s expansion to include ITA Airways will be subject to scrutiny in both Europe and Japan, although the core framework of the partnership has already been in place for more than a decade.

For travellers, the competitive outcome will depend on how rival carriers adjust capacity and pricing in response to the enlarged joint venture. Market commentary to date suggests that airlines outside the partnership may reinforce their own alliances, highlight alternative hubs or launch targeted promotions to retain share on important routes linking major European cities with Tokyo and other Japanese destinations.