Startup carrier Aeroitalia recently announced that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with a view to leasing a Boeing 737-800 that used to fly for German carrier Air Berlin. The new Italian airline plans for this to be the third aircraft that it brings into its fleet, and it wants all of these to be operational by the summer months.

Strong intentions

As detailed in a statement shared by Aeroitalia today, the startup airline made a key step yesterday with regards to forming its fleet for the coming months. Specifically, the forthcoming Italian carrier has signed a letter of intent with leasing giant Air Lease Corporation, which will see it take on a third aircraft later on in the year.

The plane in question is a Boeing 737-800, which currently bears the registration T7-438. Aeroitalia notes that this twin-engine narrowbody airliner has been fitted with two CFM International CFM56 turbofan engines, as well as 189 economy class seats manufactured by Recaro. Gaetano Intrieri, the airline's Chief Executive, stated:

"I am very pleased to announce that, on behalf of the Aeroitalia Board of Directors, I signed a letter of intent for our third Boeing 737-800 with Air Lease Corporation, [who] I’m glad [to be] starting this new business relationship with. On behalf of Aeroitalia, I’d like to thank all the team that participated in the negotiation, and [those who] will work on the phase-in in the coming weeks."

ALC Boeing 737-800 Flight Map
The aircraft has been stored in the Netherlands since December. Image: FlightRadar24.com

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The aircraft in question

So, what else do we know about the Boeing 737-800 that is currently registered as T7-438? According to data from ATDB.aero, it is just over 19 years old, having first been delivered to Air Berlin in February 2003. It spent more than a decade flying for the German carrier, eventually departing 12 years later in January 2015.

Three months later, the aircraft was back in service with Belavia, who re-registered it from D-ABBJ to EW-438PA. After more than six-and-a-half years of service for the Belarussian flag carrier, it left in November 2021, and came into the ownership of Air Lease Corporation the following month. FlightRadar24.com shows that its last flight took it from Istanbul to Woensdrecht last December.

Data from ch-aviation.com shows that the aircraft's 189 economy class seats have a seat pitch of 29-30 inches, and no in-seat video. The site also reveals that its current market value is $10.47 million, with a lease rate of $115,000. As of October 2021, it had racked up 54,264 flight hours, spread across 27,520 flight cycles.

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Air Berlin was a oneworld member until its demise. Photo: Getty Images

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What do we know about Aeroitalia so far?

It has been two months since Simple Flying first reported on the emergence of Aeroitalia. As seen in the tweet below, the carrier has already begun painting its other aircraft in the distinctive red and green colors of the Italian flag.

Funded entirely by private capital, the airline is targeting business destinations from Forlì's Luigi Ridolfi Airport (FRL). As Simple Flying reported last month, it obtained its AOC on April 22nd. In terms of when it will start operations, Intrieri explains that "our goal is to have all of our 3 airplanes operating by this summer."

What do you make of Aeroitalia's intention to lease this ex-Air Berlin Boeing 737-800? Have you ever flown on this particular aircraft? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!