By Foo Yun Chee, Ilona Wissenbach and Angelo Amante BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/ROME (Reuters) -Lufthansa won EU antitrust approval to buy 41% of ITA Airways for 325 million euros ($350 million) on Wednesday after ceding routes and slots, with the news boosting rival IAG's shares and hopes for its takeover of Air Europa. The deal will boost Lufthansa's presence in the lucrative southern European market and is one of three high-profile sector transactions in Europe, underscoring efforts by its airlines to boost scale to offset rising operating costs. Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr told a press conference in Rome that ITA's Fiumicino airport hub gave the group better access to Africa and Latin America and that it had much room for growth.