ITA Airways Begins Building Fleet to Succeed Alitalia 

Italy's newest addition to its airline landscape, ITA Airways, has signed an order with Airbus for 28 aircraft fulfilling the memorandum of understanding from September 2021. The airline will also pursue a lease arrangement with the manufacturer to bolster its owned fleet with additional A350s. 

The order placed includes a spread of Airbus offerings, with 7 A220s, 11 A320neos, and 10 of the newest iteration of the A330 widebody airliner, the A330neo. The addition to the ITA Airways fleet will add some much-needed efficiency and modernization to a competitive market. The company recently purchased the defunct Alitalia name for €90 million, only to surprise some industry pundits with the announcement that they would not operate under the longstanding brand, preferring to start fresh and create their own cachet from scratch. ITA is in talks with a variety of Italian manufacturers to ensure that every aspect of their passenger experience carries quintissentially Italian DNA. The improved aircraft will give them a leg up in courting the erudite international passengers so profitable for business and first class. The most recent Airbus purchase may just be the start, with rough plans in position to add a total of 81 aircraft by the end of 2025.

"We are very proud to partner with ITA Airways in building its long-term future with the most efficient, latest technology Airbus aircraft. This agreement supports ITA Airways business objectives to develop its network in Europe and internationally in the most sustainable way,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus CCO and Head of Airbus International.

FMI: www.airbus.com