EU commission approves Lufthansa purchase of long-troubled Italian airline ITA, with conditions

MILAN — The European Commission on Wednesday approved Lufthansa’s takeover of Italian airline ITA with conditions to protect competition in a deal that Italy’s finance minister called “historic.” Lufthansa will invest 325 million euros ($350 million) to acquire a 41% stake in ITA, formerly Alitalia, from the Italian government, gaining full control by 2033 with a total investment of 829 million euros. The commission approved the deal after a year-long investigation and with conditions to protect competition, noting that Lufthansa, ITA and its partners, for example, control most routes from...