Lufthansa will fold its three-year-old Italia brand at the
end of October, shifting its fleet to serve other markets in its mainline
network while supplementing its Italian presence with mainline service and
flights from regional subsidiary Air Dolomiti.
Along with Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa serves 19 Italian
destinations and is planning "double-digit growth in its offering to
Italy," according to the carrier.
"Bundling our services under the Lufthansa and Air
Dolomiti brands will give us a clearer and more streamlined presence in the
Italian market," according to a statement attributed to Lufthansa chairman
and CEO Christoph Franz. "When we launched Lufthansa Italia three years ago, we filled a gap that had emerged in Milan following Alitalia's withdrawal
from Malpensa and the end of our cooperation with Air One. Our service is
highly appreciated and the response from passengers in Italy is excellent.
However, given the slump in prices on European routes and the competition, it
was extremely difficult to establish a profitable European network under a
separate brand. It therefore makes sense to focus the Lufthansa Group's
offering on connecting the connecting the Italian market to the Group's hubs."