<center>Adria receives final aircraft</center>

GLOBAL AVIATION NEWS

Lufthansa eyes ITA stake

The Lufthansa Group is reported to be working on a proposal to purchase up to 40% of new Italian airline ITA. The German group is keen to gain a foothold in the Italian market and wants to develop Rome Fiumicino as a major international hub. ITA’s board has also expressed interest in partnering with Lufthansa. A deal could be reached as early as this summer. ITA Airways might only have started operations on October 15, but it has already been making waves in the European aviation space. From ordering up 28 new technology aircraft from Airbus to signing various codeshares, the airline has been keenly making its presence known. But what it really needs is a major partner for future operations, and front runner to be that partner is German aviation giant Lufthansa. The group is reported to have presented a proposal for a partnership with the Italian airline, which includes a purchase of share capital of between 15% and 40%. The proposal, which remains unofficial for now, is also reported to include the development of Fiumicino as a new hub and other partnership elements. Lufthansa is keenly eyeing ITA’s commitment to a leaner, greener fleet, and believes that it can deal a blow to European competition as the industry prepares for significant recovery. Having repaid its bailout loan in full at the end of last year, the Lufthansa Group is in a strong position to begin making strategic investments for the future. For ITA, a strong international partner is needed to strengthen its network, and Lufthansa is keenly desired by the board. ITA Airways board member Alfredo Altavilla said last month, “It would be wrong to remain independent because we would always be too small compared to the three big airline groups operating in Europe. We are a pretty bachelorette who has many admirers… we hope that Lufthansa will be one of those handsome and rich admirers who might be interested in ITA Airways”.

Adria receives final aircraft

The last one ... for now

Adria's new look fleet is finally complete. On Wednesday (28.01), at 05.05 local time, the latest new addition joined the Adria fleet, a Canadair Regional Jet CRJ900. The Slovenian crew took delivery of the new aircraft in Canada and flew it to its home airport Ljubljana. Adria's fleet is thus complete as all new aircraft have been delivered. Adria management board chairman Tadej Tufek said, “With this new 86-seater, which is identical to the aircraft we took delivery of just before the New Year, we have chosen to add another modern aircraft to our fleet, an aircraft that protects the environment in terms of emissions and noise, while at the same time providing lower fuel consumption and greater passenger comfort”. He added, “This completes our acquisitions for the time being”. The aircraft has been acquired on an operational lease at a fixed interest rate of 4.1% a 10-year period, which in these present conditions shows the confidence that foreign commercial banks, in this case BayernLB, have in Adria's business results. The aircraft will be operated by a crew of four. Maintenance work will be carried out in Adria's own service centre.

The Ljubljana based carrier now has a total fleet of 15 aircraft, with 14 currently operating for Adria. The fleet’s avarafe age is 9.7 years.

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