A bid from German carrier Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) for ITA Airways could come early next week, three sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, in a crucial step to speeding up the full privatisation of Italy's state-owned company. The privatisation of ITA, which officially replaced loss-making Alitalia in 2021, has proved a headache for the Italian government which in December passed a decree to initially sell a minority stake in order to facilitate a full divestment. On Jan. 18 potential bidders will not be allowed to access ITA's financial data anymore, two of the sources said, adding Lufthansa was the only credible potential bidder. A government official said a Lufthansa bid could land even before Jan. 18, signalling the new right-wing administration of Giorgia Meloni was confident of finalising the deal. Lufthansa declined to comment. The government decree allowed bidders to buy stakes through one or more capital increases and stipulated that another airline must end up with a majority stake in ITA after the privatisation process is concluded.<br/>
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Scandinavian airline SAS said Friday it had agreed with another two of its aircraft lessors to amend the terms of existing lease contracts as part of its cost cutting efforts. Crisis-hit SAS, which is under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States since last year, said in a statement it had now amended contracts with in total 15 lessors representing 59 aircraft. "With these agreements, SAS concludes its lessor negotiations as part of the chapter 11 process," it said. "Through the amended lease agreements, SAS expects to achieve the targeted annual cost savings of at least 1.0b Swedish crowns in reduced aircraft lease expenses and annual cash flow items relating to aircraft financing," it said.<br/>
Asiana Airlines has returned to passenger service seven widebodies converted for cargo-carrying purposes, as passenger travel demand continues to recover. The South Korean carrier on 16 January completed work to re-install passenger seats on an Airbus A330-300, marking the end of more than two years of temporary freighter operations during the coronavirus pandemic. In September 2020, the airline converted an A350 for freighter operations to meet a rising demand for cargo flights amid a collapse in passenger travel. The airline was among a growing number of carriers in the region adopting “preighter” operations. Asiana would go on to convert three more A350s and another three A330s to bolster cargo operations, a move that allowed it to carry 70,000t more cargo in over two years. Asiana says the temporary freighter operations have brought in about W370b ($300m) in additional revenue, with demand the strongest to and from North America. Since late 2021, and as border gradually began to reopen, airlines have slowly ended their temporary freighter operations. In April 2022, European regulators also said they would not be extending approvals for temporary passenger-to-freighter conversions.<br/>
Air India is set to start operating 12 new flights a week to London Gatwick Airport, in addition to five additional flights to London Heathrow Airport. Beginning 26 March this year, London Gatwick will receive flights from the Indian cities of Goa, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Kochi (Cochin). The airline will run three flights a week from these cities to London using 787-8 aircraft, with 256 seats across business and economy classes. The new flights are expected to further bolster community links between India and the UK, especially London. Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate Stewart Wingate said: “The arrival of Air India and its four routes to London Gatwick is fantastic news for the airport and passengers across London and the south-east. India not only offers wonderful cities and beach destinations to explore but provides a wealth of opportunities for businesses and wider connectivity. These connections are also hugely important to our local and regional communities, with people looking to visit family and friends across India.”<br/>