ITA Airways Executive President Alfredo Altavilla has resigned from his position at the airline because of a disagreement with the airline board regarding the sale of ITA.

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Altavilla resigns

A few weeks ago, ITA Airways announced that all powers had been revoked from then-president Alfredo Altavilla. A motion was ordered and then approved by the Board of Directors on October 20.

“The Board of Directors of ITA Airways, held today, fully confirmed the revocation of all the powers of the Executive President Alfredo Altavilla, which was already ordered by a resolution on October 12th, and the attribution of those powers to the Chief Executive Officer Fabio Maria Lazzerini."

Bloomberg reported that those close to the airline and Altavilla stated that the resignation was because of a strategy disagreement with the board.

Altavilla was appointed to the airline in June of last year by former Premier Mario Draghi and was tasked with finding a partner by the end of 2022. Altavilla preferred a deal with MSC Mediterranean Shipping Co. and Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Still, the Italian government chose to make a deal regarding the next stage of negotiations with a New York Investment group Certares, Air France-KLM, and Delta Air Lines.

At the time of the board's decision to remove Altavilla's powers, the airline stated,

“The Board of Directors reiterated that the Company's main task is to remain focused on the industrial plan, continuing along the road taken that is providing better results than expected, with the aim of consolidating the relaunch of ITA Airways and protecting the company's workers who have taken the challenge.”

A few days ago, Simple Flying reported that ITA Airways was reopening conversations with Lufthansa as the exclusivity with Air France-KLM ended.

The Italian airline had exclusively entered conversations with a group that included Certares, Air France-KLM, and Delta. Now, the government wants to reopen negotiations with other potential partners. Initially, the government planned to privatize the airline and maintain a non-controlling minority stake. Now, the government is searching for a strong partnership rather than just a financial investment.

Recent ITA Airways news

Near the end of October, ITA launched a new codeshare partnership with Colombian airline Avianca. The codeshare partnership guarantees connections from London Heathrow and Miami International Airport, where the airlines' operations coincide. The new agreement took effect on October 31.

In the past, one of Avianca's branches, Avianca Brasil (which no longer exists), had a codeshare with ITA Airways' ancestor Alitalia. Though the Colombian carrier is a Star Alliance airline and ITA has strong partnerships with airlines of other alliances, the two have teamed up.

ITA Airways Airbus A319
Photo: Getty Images

Avianca's Director of Alliances, Julio Ordóñez, said that the airline expects to transport nearly 1,000 additional passengers between Colombia and Rome annually through the codeshare.

Andreas Benassi, Chief of Network, Fleet, and Alliances for ITA, highlighted the significance of the Italian airline forming 30 codeshare agreements in just twelve months since the airline launched.

Source: Bloomberg

  • ITA Airways Airbus A330 in sky
    ITA Airways
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AZ/ITY
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Rome Fiumicino Airport
    Year Founded:
    2020
    Alliance:
    SkyTeam
    CEO:
    Fabio Lazzerini
    Country:
    Italy