LUFTHANSA is to become the major shareholder of the Italian operator Air Dolomiti raising its stake from the 31.2%, acquired in 1999, to 51.9%. The deal is estimated to be worth around E40m. Lufthansa plans to make a public offer to purchase the outstanding shares of the airline which is traded on the Milan Stock Exchange. The co-operation between Lufthansa and Air Dolomiti, which has existed since 1994, has developed extremely successfully for the two partners as a feeder to the LH Munich hub. Air Dolomiti has regularly achieved double-digit growth rates and is now Italy's most successful regional airline and the largest foreign carrier into Munich. http://www.lufthansa.co.uk