Summary

• ITA Airways emerged as Italy’s new flag carrier, replacing the struggling Alitalia.
• The airline inherited assets, including routes and aircraft, and began operations with a fleet of Airbus jets.
• ITA Airways is expanding its fleet with modern and eco-friendly aircraft, aiming to have Europe’s youngest fleet by 2025.

ITA Airways, which stands for Italia Transporto Aéreo, is Italy’s newest flag carrier after Alitalia’s collapse. The company began its history in November 2020, aiming to leave behind the turbulent history of its predecessor, filled with economic woes and hefty financial rescues. With a fleet exclusively made from Airbus aircraft, the new airline will reach 52 destinations during 2023’s winter schedule.

A product of Alitalia’s struggles

The ITA Airways story began in October 2020. This was when the Italian government permitted struggling flag carrier Alitalia to restructure under the new ITA Brand. It commenced operations shortly, using aircraft inherited from its predecessor. Nonetheless, it quickly placed orders for brand new Airbus jets, and it is currently growing, with a fleet of 81 aircraft (and four non-Airbus planes wet-leased to Hibernian Airlines and Eastern Airways, per ch-aviation).

Uncertainty characterized former flag carrier Alitalia’s final few years, particularly amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It entered administration in 2017 after Etihad withdrew its support for the airline, putting it on sale. The Italian government stepped in to take ownership after no buyer could be found for almost three years.

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It did so despite having previously ruled out renationalizing Alitalia, which had already been state-owned until 2009. However, it felt necessary to do so due to the threat that COVID-19 posed to the struggling airline. Having taken ownership of Alitalia in March 2020, it was just seven months before the government permitted it to restructure as ITA.

Taking into the skies

Soon after ITA became a brand, reports emerged that it would acquire several of Alitalia’s assets. This allowed it to inherit some routes and aircraft when the time came to replace the former national airline. ITA Airways eventually commenced operations on October 15, 2021, using a consolidated fleet of Airbus jets.

Since then, the new airline has taken on several aspects of Alitalia’s operations, including its membership in the SkyTeam alliance. This allowed SkyTeam not to lose its status as the alliance with the most robust presence in the European country.

ITA also replaced Alitalia as the official airline of the Pope. It undertook its first duty in this regard when it flew Pope Francis to Larnaca, Cyprus, in November 2021.

Increasing its fleet

ITA Airways embarked on a fleet expansion process, acquiring modern and environmentally friendly aircraft, allowing the company to fulfill its Sustainability Manifesto. As of October 2023, ITA Airways has seven Airbus A220-300s, 18 A319ceos, 26 A320ceos, 11 A320neos, eight A330-200s, five A330-900s, and six A350-900s. Moreover, the company has a strong order book. It expects to receive 66 additional aircraft, including 26 A320neos, nine A321LRs, 16 A220s, a couple of A350-900s, and 13 A330-900s.

According to its Sustainability Manifesto, the carrier aims to fly Europe’s youngest fleet by 2025, with at least 75% of the aircraft being new generation.

The Lufthansa Group

The German conglomerate is looking to acquire a significant stake in ITA Airways; this is recently more than likely to take place. On June 16, 2023, Italy’s national court of auditors approved Lufthansa’s Group’s proposed acquisition of 41% of ITA Airways, with an official purchase price of €325 million for the shares in the new Italian carrier.

Despite not holding a majority stake in ITA Airways, the Lufthansa Group is expected to strongly influence business decisions and fully incorporate ITA’s routes into Lufthansa’s existing global network. Nonetheless, Lufthansa’s Group’s acquisition of 41% of ITA Airways may lead to some challenges in the future. One of these challenges is ITA’s future in SkyTeam. It may very well have to move to Star Alliance.

Additionally, the ITA Airways move to the Lufthansa Group could face some hurdles when it comes to the landing slots the Italian carrier currently holds at Milan Linate Airport and Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, as well as it poses questions regarding competitivity issues across the European aviation.

Have you traveled with ITA Airways? How did you find the experience? Let us know in the comments below.

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  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