ITA Airways joins ANA-Lufthansa Japan partnership: new route logic may come for Tokyo
ITA Airways will join the Lufthansa Group and All Nippon Airways Europe-Japan joint venture from autumn 2026, which may bring more comparable Tokyo routes, more flexible transfer combinations, and a stronger Roman hub for Hungarian travelers. This change does not mean that direct flights between Budapest and Japan will start immediately, but routes organized via Budapest, Vienna, Rome, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, or Vienna may enter a new competitive situation in terms of price, schedule, and service.
The Lufthansa Group announced on June 8 that it is expanding its strategic Europe-Japan partnership operated jointly with All Nippon Airways by including ITA Airways. The agreement was signed during the IATA annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro. According to the official announcement, the Italian airline will become part of the joint venture from autumn 2026, and the joint offer will gradually appear in booking systems.
At first glance, this may seem like industry news, but such partnerships have very practical consequences for long-haul travel. When several airlines coordinate their schedules, pricing, and sales and connections as a joint venture rather than just codesharing, it often becomes easier for the passenger to purchase a multi-leg ticket. This is especially important for Japan, where the majority of Hungarian travelers still reach Tokyo, Osaka, or other Japanese cities via transfers.
What changes from autumn 2026?
The essence of the announcement is that ITA Airways' Europe network, its Italian domestic flights, its connections in the Maghreb region, and its long-haul flight from Rome Fiumicino to Tokyo Haneda will be included in the ANA and Lufthansa Group Europe-Japan partnership. The Lufthansa and ANA joint venture has been operating since 2012, and SWISS and Austrian Airlines later joined. With the entry of ITA, the system expands to five players: ANA, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, SWISS, and ITA Airways.
According to the Lufthansa Group, after the expansion, the joint offer between Europe and Japan will cover 160 long-haul flights per week. The company also highlighted that ITA's Roman hub may enable shorter and more frequent connections between Japan and Southern Europe, the Mediterranean region, and certain destinations in North Africa. From the perspective of Hungarian travelers, the most important element is not the number itself, but that Rome Fiumicino may become a stronger, more integrated alternative alongside the German, Swiss, and Austrian hubs.
The partnership does not transform the market overnight. The official announcement is cautious: customers will be informed when the new booking options actually become available. Therefore, when planning Japan trips for autumn and winter 2026, it is worth monitoring the schedules, but it is not advisable to assume that every combination will immediately operate with the same flexibility, identical baggage handling, or identical mileage accrual.
Why is this important for Hungarian travelers?
From Hungary, Japan is typically a transfer route. Those starting from Budapest airport often compare Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Istanbul, Doha, or Dubai connections. Vienna airport is also a realistic starting point for many travelers from Western Hungary, especially if it offers a better price, a more favorable departure time, or a more convenient transfer. The entry of ITA means that the Roman route is also worth monitoring more seriously, especially for those who would incorporate Southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, or a stopover in Rome into their trip.
Budapest-Rome flights have been useful for city visits and Mediterranean trips so far, but the role of the Roman transfer may strengthen if ITA's Tokyo flight gradually integrates more deeply into the Lufthansa-ANA system. In practice, this could mean that a Budapest-Rome-Tokyo route will be more easily comparable to a Budapest-Vienna-Tokyo or Budapest-Frankfurt-Tokyo route, especially if the passenger wants to manage the entire trip on a single ticket.
From Budapest to Tokyo, it is still worth looking separately at the Budapest-Haneda and Budapest-Narita options. Haneda may be more attractive to many travelers due to its proximity to downtown Tokyo, while Narita remains an important player for certain international and price-sensitive routes. The difference between the two airports is not just a geographical question: the connecting schedule, baggage drop-off, arrival time of day, and the duration of the city transfer together determine which route is more convenient.
The new role of Rome Fiumicino on Japanese routes
Rome Fiumicino has always been one of Italy's most important international airports, but ITA's entry into the Japan-focused joint venture may give it a stronger strategic role. According to the official announcement, ITA offers a daily non-stop flight between Rome Fiumicino and Tokyo Haneda. If this flight becomes more flexibly bookable for customers of the Lufthansa Group, ANA, Austrian Airlines, and SWISS, then Rome may not just be an Italian destination, but also a Southern European gateway to Japan.
This may be particularly interesting for travelers who would combine a summer or autumn Japan trip with Italian sightseeing. A stopover in Rome can help break up the long journey, but it is only practical if the ticket, baggage, and transfer time fit logically. Accommodation or transfers around Rome Fiumicino airport are not minor details at this time, but part of the reliability of the route. For late evening arrivals or early morning departures, for example, a hotel near Fiumicino may be a safer choice than a tight downtown turnaround.
The Roman option, however, will not automatically be better for every Hungarian traveler. If someone starts from Western Hungary, a Vienna-Tokyo Haneda or Vienna-Tokyo Narita search is often more competitive in terms of time and price. The point is rather that passengers have one more real, comparable European entry point toward Japan.
What to look for before booking?
One of the advantages of joint ventures is that the passenger often receives a more uniform service experience: a more coordinated schedule, more combinable flights, wider lounge and loyalty program connections, and simpler transfer management. According to the Lufthansa Group announcement, the mutual recognition of tickets and loyalty programs is also part of the agreement. However, this does not mean that every fare, mileage accrual, lounge access, or baggage rule will automatically be identical for every ticket.
Those planning a Japan trip for autumn 2026 or early 2027 should check four things separately before booking:
- Transfer time: a favorable price is not worth much if the connection in Rome, Vienna, or the German hubs is too tight, especially with checked baggage.
- Ticket unity: a route within a single booking generally provides greater protection in case of delays, than two separate tickets.
- Baggage handling: check whether the suitcase can be tagged through to Tokyo, or if re-checking is necessary.
- Airport arrival: Haneda and Narita are both excellent gateways, but city access, the location of the first night, and onward travel can be very different.
In Tokyo, there is a practical difference between Haneda airport and Narita airport. Haneda is closer to the city center, while Narita remains important for many international routes. If the flight arrives late, it is worth thinking ahead about the Haneda transfer, the Narita transfer, and whether airport-adjacent accommodation is needed.
What does this mean for the tourism market?
Japan remains a strong long-haul destination from Europe, while travelers are increasingly sensitive to price, total route length, connection security, and additional costs. Large airline partnerships are important exactly at this point: they do not just mean more flights, but also better-organized sales and more flexible route choices. For the Hungarian market, this is essential because, in the absence of direct flights, a large part of the travel experience depends on the quality of the transfer point.
The strengthening of the Roman route may also make the connection between Mediterranean and Japanese tourism more visible. More and more travelers are not thinking in terms of a single destination, but in multi-stop routes: Budapest or Vienna, then Rome, then Tokyo, and perhaps Osaka, Kyoto, or Hokkaido. ANA's Japanese domestic network is particularly important in this regard, because it makes many regional destinations accessible from Tokyo. The partnership becomes truly valuable when these segments appear in the booking with transparent, predictable rules.
Cautious optimism: more choice, but not automatic price drops
It is important to handle the news realistically. A new joint venture member is not a guarantee that flights to Japan will immediately become cheaper. Long-haul prices are still influenced by fuel costs, capacity, the season, the yen exchange rate, Japanese domestic demand, and competition among European departure markets. The good news, however, is that the offer may become more organized, and Hungarian travelers will have more meaningful routes to compare.
The best strategy, therefore, is not for everyone to automatically book via Rome, but to view the combinations between Budapest, Vienna, Rome, and the major Lufthansa Group hubs as a complete route. When making the final decision, in addition to the ticket price, consider the transfer, airport accommodation, baggage, waiting time, loyalty program, and potential delay risk. For those who plan this way, the entry of ITA Airways can indeed provide a useful new option for Japan trips starting from autumn 2026.
Sources
The article is based on the official announcement of the Lufthansa Group on June 8, 2026, the related announcement on the ITA Airways press page, and recent business travel professional reports. Booking options and the actual availability of routes may change gradually from autumn 2026, so it is always worth checking the current airline schedules and ticket conditions before departure.