By Joanna Plucinska and Ilona Wissenbach DUBLIN (Reuters) – German airline Lufthansa’s bid for a minority stake in Italy’s ITA Airways has ignited talk of further potential sector consolidation as the industry seeks to plot a more profitable post-pandemic recovery. Many of Europe’s legacy flag-carrying airlines are struggling to compete effectively with budget carriers, hampered by weak balance sheets that could be made more robust by merging with rivals, analysts said. Lufthansa has offered to buy an initial minority stake in ITA, Italy’s state-owned successor to Alitalia, it said on Wednesda…