ITA Airways will join the Lufthansa Group and All Nippon Airways joint venture for Europe-Japan flying this fall, adding Rome-Tokyo Haneda to one of Star Alliance’s most important long-haul cooperation platforms. The move is another concrete step in ITA’s integration into Lufthansa Group and gives travelers a more coordinated way to connect between Italy, Central Europe and Japan.
ITA Moves Deeper Into Lufthansa’s Partnership System
Aviation Week reported that the agreement was signed at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro and will bring ITA Airways into the immunized Lufthansa Group-ANA joint venture from this fall. The existing partnership already includes ANA, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Swiss, coordinating schedules, commercial activity and product offerings between Europe and Japan.
The addition of ITA is significant because Lufthansa’s investment in the Italian carrier is no longer just a balance-sheet or ownership story. It is now being translated into network coordination. ITA’s Rome Fiumicino-Tokyo Haneda service will become part of a larger commercial structure that already has deep links into Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan.
Rome-Tokyo Becomes More Useful For Connecting Traffic
Rome Fiumicino is not simply another European gateway in this context. Italy has a large inbound tourism market, a strong business base in northern and central regions, and meaningful long-haul demand to Asia. ITA’s daily Airbus A350-900 service to Tokyo Haneda gives the joint venture a southern European anchor that complements Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich strength, Swiss in Zurich and Austrian in Vienna.
For Japanese travelers, the change could make Italy and North Africa easier to reach under a coordinated booking and connection structure. For Italy-originating passengers, it should improve access to ANA’s domestic Japanese network beyond Tokyo. The value of a joint venture is not just more codes on a route. It is the ability to align schedules, fares, inventory and onward connections in ways that make a long-haul itinerary feel less stitched together.
Loyalty Integration Adds Another Layer
The timing also matters for loyalty. ITA joined Star Alliance earlier this year and has migrated into Lufthansa Group’s Miles & More ecosystem. That makes the Japan joint venture more relevant for frequent flyers because the commercial cooperation now sits alongside alliance recognition and loyalty-program alignment.
For a traveler earning or redeeming within Miles & More, the Rome-Tokyo flight becomes more than a standalone ITA route. It becomes part of a broader Star Alliance and Lufthansa Group travel proposition. That is exactly the kind of integration Lufthansa has been working toward since taking its initial stake in ITA.
A Stronger Competitive Response To Oneworld And SkyTeam
Europe-Japan flying is strategically important because it touches business travel, premium leisure demand and high-value connecting traffic. Oneworld has Japan Airlines and British Airways as powerful anchors, while SkyTeam has Air France-KLM and Korean Air in the wider Asia-Europe market. By adding ITA into the ANA-Lufthansa platform, Star Alliance strengthens its coverage without needing to launch a wave of new routes.
The move also helps clarify ITA’s future role. Under Alitalia, Italy’s flag-carrier strategy often looked uncertain and undercapitalized. Under Lufthansa Group influence, ITA is being positioned as a coordinated network airline with defined alliance roles, stronger distribution and clearer long-haul partnerships.
Why This Is More Than A Codeshare Story
A simple codeshare can be useful, but immunized joint ventures are deeper strategic tools. They allow airlines to behave more like a single commercial entity across defined markets while still operating under their own brands. That can support better schedule banks, more consistent pricing and stronger corporate sales.
For passengers, the immediate visible changes may be modest. The larger shift is structural. ITA’s Rome-Tokyo flight is becoming part of a mature Europe-Japan partnership, and that gives Star Alliance a more complete story in one of the world’s most important premium long-haul markets.
