ITA Airways Courts the Indian Agent

European carriers are getting granular with their trade strategy. ITA Airways is wrapping up a high-touch networking dinner in New Delhi. While the event happened mid-May, the strategic reverberations are hitting the trade press today. The airline gathered top brass from Thomas Cook, TBO, and MakeMyTrip to reaffirm India as a “cornerstone” of its strategy.

The takeaway

As Lufthansa deepens its ownership stake (they are a co-owner alongside the Italian government), ITA is leveraging Star Alliance connectivity to poach corporate accounts from the Gulf carriers. Indian B2B agents are being offered backend incentives to push Rome as a connecting hub to the US.