The strategic Europe-Japan joint venture between the Lufthansa Group (LHG) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) will be expanded by the Lufthansa Group to include ITA Airways later this year. It’s a move that reflects ITA Airways’ vision to become part of the Lufthansa Group.

The accession of ITA Airways to the largest joint venture between Europe and Japan enables closer cooperation in many key areas. This collaboration will be expanded to include ITA Airways’;

European routes,Italian domestic flights,destinations in the Maghreb,and long-haul flights between Rome-Fiumicino and Tokyo-Haneda.

This complements the existing scope of the joint venture in Italy, which already includes ANA’s service from Tokyo-Haneda to Milan-Malpensa.

The focus is on ITA Airways’ hub, Rome-Fiumicino Airport. From there, Italy’s national airline offers a daily nonstop flight to Tokyo-Haneda. Starting this northern autumn, this intercontinental flight can be booked by customers of ANA, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS and combined with their own connecting flights as desired. Furthermore, the introduction of a joint service will begin gradually from autumn 2026.

Since the joint venture also includes ITA Airways’ feeder flights to Rome, additional connecting flights are available for travellers to Japan. Flight times to and from Japan will be reduced, especially for destinations in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, as well as North Africa, via the southern hub in Rome. Beyond Tokyo-Haneda, ANA offers ITA Airways passengers numerous connecting flights via its domestic network in Japan. All passengers can also use the respective lounges in Rome and Tokyo. Tickets and loyalty programs of both airlines are mutually recognized.

The Europe-Japan Joint Venture was founded in 2012 between Lufthansa and ANA. SWISS and Austrian Airlines joined in subsequent years. This joint project enables closer cooperation and joint product planning. The necessary antitrust clearance (antitrust immunity) was granted by the Japanese authorities several weeks ago. Within the framework of this joint venture, the participating airlines can, for example, coordinate their flight schedules and thus better distribute departure times throughout the day.

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Juichi Hirasawa, President and CEO of All Nippon Airways, said: “As we approach the 15th anniversary of our joint venture next year, our long-standing partnership with the Lufthansa Group enables us to provide a seamless and high-quality travel experience for our passengers between Japan and Europe.

“With the addition of ITA Airways, which gives us access to Rome, our travellers will enjoy exceptional service and an even more convenient travel experience to Italy, Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and beyond.”

“We are very proud to join the Europe-Japan Joint Venture between ANA and the Lufthansa Group,” Jörg Eberhart, CEO and General Manager of ITA Airways, said. “This agreement represents an important milestone in the international development of ITA Airways. It also strengthens the airline’s connection to the Asia-Pacific region, an area of ​​great strategic importance. We thank our partners, the Lufthansa Group and ANA, for this important agreement, which will enable us to offer our customers more travel options, more efficient connections, and an increasingly integrated travel experience.”

Lead image: At the contract signing on 7 June 2026 at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro (from left) are: Juichi Hirasawa, CEO and President of All Nippon Airways; Carsten Spohr, CEO of Lufthansa Group and Jörg Eberhart, CEO of ITA Airways.