After a year-long integration process, national flag-carrier ITA Airways on 31 March 2026 completed the final step to become the 26th member of Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline partnership. From today (1 April) the airline’s hubs in Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Linate are fully plugged into Star Alliance’s network of 1,150 destinations, giving corporate travellers access to single-ticket itineraries, round-the-world fares and more than 1,000 lounges globally.
![ITA Airways Officially Joins Star Alliance, Unlocking Seamless Connectivity for Business Travellers]()
For companies sending employees to or through Italy, VisaHQ can streamline all the necessary paperwork. Its dedicated Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers fast online processing for visas, residence permits and other travel documents, with real-time tracking and compliance support that meshes seamlessly with the expanded Star Alliance connectivity.
The move is strategically important for Italy’s global mobility ecosystem. Star Alliance carriers already carried the bulk of long-haul corporate traffic into Italy; adding a local member means through-checked baggage, priority services and reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits are now available on purely domestic or intra-European ITA segments as well. For multinationals running commuter assignments between Italian headquarters and overseas branches, the simplification of interline agreements can translate into lower travel-management costs and fewer missed connections. Behind the scenes, ITA’s accession was accelerated by Lufthansa Group’s 41 % equity stake. Lufthansa is expected to connect ITA to its trans-Atlantic joint venture once U.S. regulators give the green light, potentially restoring capacity on business-critical routes such as Milan-New York and Rome-Chicago that were cut during the pandemic. Analysts also expect code-share synergies on North-South traffic flows linking Northern Italian industrial zones with African and Latin-American supply-chain hubs. For mobility managers the practical implications are immediate. Travellers can now earn and burn miles across 26 airlines, while status holders gain fast-track security and extra baggage on Italian domestic flights—previously unavailable perks. Employers should update self-booking-tool fare preferences because many ITA flights that used to show as non-preferred carriers will re-price under existing Star Alliance corporate deals. Finally, immigration teams should note that lounge crowding at Fiumicino is forecast to rise 15-20 % this summer. Companies moving assignees should advise staff to allow extra time at peak periods until ITA opens its promised new premium space in Terminal 1 later this year.
For companies sending employees to or through Italy, VisaHQ can streamline all the necessary paperwork. Its dedicated Italy portal (https://www.visahq.com/italy/) offers fast online processing for visas, residence permits and other travel documents, with real-time tracking and compliance support that meshes seamlessly with the expanded Star Alliance connectivity.
The move is strategically important for Italy’s global mobility ecosystem. Star Alliance carriers already carried the bulk of long-haul corporate traffic into Italy; adding a local member means through-checked baggage, priority services and reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits are now available on purely domestic or intra-European ITA segments as well. For multinationals running commuter assignments between Italian headquarters and overseas branches, the simplification of interline agreements can translate into lower travel-management costs and fewer missed connections. Behind the scenes, ITA’s accession was accelerated by Lufthansa Group’s 41 % equity stake. Lufthansa is expected to connect ITA to its trans-Atlantic joint venture once U.S. regulators give the green light, potentially restoring capacity on business-critical routes such as Milan-New York and Rome-Chicago that were cut during the pandemic. Analysts also expect code-share synergies on North-South traffic flows linking Northern Italian industrial zones with African and Latin-American supply-chain hubs. For mobility managers the practical implications are immediate. Travellers can now earn and burn miles across 26 airlines, while status holders gain fast-track security and extra baggage on Italian domestic flights—previously unavailable perks. Employers should update self-booking-tool fare preferences because many ITA flights that used to show as non-preferred carriers will re-price under existing Star Alliance corporate deals. Finally, immigration teams should note that lounge crowding at Fiumicino is forecast to rise 15-20 % this summer. Companies moving assignees should advise staff to allow extra time at peak periods until ITA opens its promised new premium space in Terminal 1 later this year.
