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//NOTE THIS PROJECT IS ON HOLD UNTIL THE DETAILS ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE NEW RENATIONALISED ALITALIA BECOME CLEAR//

Not to be confused with Aeritalia.

Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A.
IATA ICAO Call sign
AZ AZA ALITALIA
Founded16 September 1946 (as Aerolinee Italiane Internazionali, popular name Alitalia)
31 October 1957 (as Alitalia – Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A.)
12 January 2009
(as Alitalia – Compagnia Aerea Italiana S.p.A.)
1 January 2015
(as Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A.)
Commenced operations5 May 1947
AOC #I-130
HubsRome–Fiumicino
Secondary hubsMilan–Linate
Focus cities
Frequent-flyer programMilleMiglia
Alliance
SubsidiariesAlitalia CityLiner
Fleet size91 (2018)
Destinations100 (2020)[1]
Parent companyGovernment of Italy
HeadquartersFiumicino, Rome, Italy
RevenueIncrease €2,915 million (2017)[2]
Operating incomeDecrease €-526 Million (2017)[2]
ProfitDecrease €-496 Million (2017)[2]
Employees12,013 (2018)[3]
Websitewww.alitalia.com

Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana (Alitalia – Italian Air Company), operating as Alitalia (Italian pronunciation: [aliˈtaːlja]), is the flag carrier of Italy.[4] The company has its head office in Fiumicino, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital.[5] Its main hub is Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, with a secondary hub at Linate Airport.[1] The name is an Italian portmanteau of the words ali ('wings') and Italia ('Italy').[6]

The airline was founded in 1946, and was a major European airline throughout the latter half of the 20th century. In the 21st century, it repeatedly ran into financial difficulties, and required financial aid from the Italian government in order to continue its operations. It was privatised in 2009, but continued losing money, and was renationalised by the Italian government in 2020 in order to help it withstand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2018, it was the twelfth-largest airline in Europe.

History

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Alitalia – Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. was established on 16 September 1946 as Aerolinee Italiane Internazionali (Italian International Airlines). It was formed as a result of an Anglo-Italian agreement and was funded by the Italian government and British European Airways (BEA) in a 60/40 share arrangement with a capital of 900 million lire (£1,000,000).[7] Its popular name, Alitalia, blended the Italian words ali (wings) and Italia (Italy). It started operations on 5 May 1947, in which year it carried over 10,000 passengers. The inaugural flight was with a Fiat G.12 Alcione, piloted by Virginio Reinero from Turin to Catania and Rome.

Revenue passenger-kilometres, scheduled flights only, in millions
Year Traffic
1960 1339
1965 3811
1969 6584
1971 8497
1975 9390
1980 12877
1985 16881
1989 20814
1995 31748
2000 40618
Source: World Air Transport Statistics (IATA)
 
Alitalia Savoia-Marchetti SM.95 at Manchester in 1948
 
Alitalia Vickers Viscount at Milan Linate Airport in 1965
 
An Alitalia Sud Aviation Caravelle seen in August 1973.

The first intercontinental flight left a year later, flying between Milan and cities in South America. The Savoia-Marchetti SM.95 four engined airliner was used on European routes up to 1949. On 31 October 1957, Alitalia merged with Linee Aeree Italiane and took on the name of Alitalia Linee Aeree Italiane. Alitalia was owned by the Italian Ministry of the Treasury (49%), other shareholders, including employees (49%) and Air France-KLM (2%).

By 1960 Alitalia was operating jet airliners on some European routes (the Sud Caravelle) and the Douglas DC-8 on several longer distance routes. The Vickers Viscount propeller-turbine four-engined airliner was flown by Alitalia on its European network throughout the 1960s.

In 1978 Alitalia had its head office in the Palazzo Alitalia in Rome.[8]

 
President George W. Bush walks the red carpet with Pope Benedict XVI. Behind is "Shepherd One" a specially dedicated plane for the Pope belonging to Alitalia. (2008)

By the 1990s Alitalia was carrying 25 million passengers annually. In 1997 it set up a regional subsidiary Alitalia Express and in 2001 became a member of SkyTeam. In November 2003 Alitalia announced that it would cut 2,700 jobs over the next three years to prepare the airline for a merger with Air France and KLM.

In 2006, Alitalia acquired the bankrupt Volare Group (Volareweb, Air Europe) in a sale that was controversial due to Alitalia's recent reception of state aid.

Malpensa hub

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In 1995 Alitalia signed a partnership with KLM which aimed at a merger. The aim of the partnership was to develop Malpensa as a hub, along with Amsterdam (which lacked enough landing slots to expand further) and Rome Fiumicino. The problem was that in Milan there are two airports: Milan Linate (close to city centre but small) and Milan Malpensa (far from city but large and expandable). The Italian Government planned to move all flights to Milan Malpensa, apart from Milan-Rome Fiumicino.

EU airlines went to the European Courts, as they claimed that the development of Milan Malpensa and the closure of Milan Linate would provide an anti-competitive situation in favour of Alitalia. They claimed that Alitalia could go on feeding its Fiumicino hub from Linate but they could not. Furthermore, they claimed that Malpensa was too far (40 km) and lacked the infrastructure to/from the city (the rail link would open a year after the opening of the hub). After many court disputes the EU decided to leave 33% of the flights at Linate until the rail link opened.

KLM broke off the alliance with Alitalia; and Cempella (head of Alitalia) was replaced by Mengozzi, who had the role of getting Alitalia back on track. In 2000 he signed a 2% share exchange with Air France and in 2001 joined the SkyTeam alliance.

In September 2007, Alitalia announced that it would nearly halve its hub at Malpensa and instead focus on Rome-Fiumicino and move all intercontinental flights there. Until this announcement, Malpensa had been Alitalia's primary hub for intercontinental flights. The transition away from Malpensa and towards Rome-Fiumicino was completed by the end of March 2008. Minor intercontentinental destinations, which previously received flights only from Malpensa, henceforth received only flights from Rome-Fiumicino, or were discontinued.

Privatisation

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The European Court of Justice in July 2008 rejected an appeal by Alitalia against the European Commission in a long-running inquiry into Italian state aid. The airline challenged conditions set by the commission in 2001 for the use of state aid in restructuring the company.

In 2008, a group of investors formed the "Compagnia Aerea Italiana" (CAI) consortium to buy Alitalia, which had become bankrupt, and to merge it with Air One, another bankrupt Italian airline.[9][10]

On 30 October 2008, CAI offered €1 billion to acquire parts of the bankrupt airline, amidst pilots' and flight crew members' opposition to labour agreements.[11] On 19 November 2008, CAI's offer was accepted by the bankruptcy administrator of Alitalia with the permission of the Italian government, at the time the majority shareholder of the bankrupt airline.[12] Alitalia's profitable assets were transferred to CAI on 12 December 2008 after CAI paid €1.05 billion, consisting of €427 million in cash and the assumption of responsibility for €625 million in Alitalia debt.[13]

A USA diplomatic cable disclosed in 2011 summarised the operation as follows: "Under the guise of a rather quaint (and distinctly un-EU) desire to maintain the Italian-ness of the company, a group of wealthy Berlusconi cronies was enticed into taking over the healthy portions of Alitalia, leaving its debts to the Italian taxpayers. The rules of bankruptcy were changed in the middle of the game to meet the government's needs. Berlusconi pulled this one off, but his involvement probably cost the Italian taxpayers a lot of money."[14]

Renationalisation

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In April 2020, the Italian government announces it will take over Alitalia in May since it could not survive the COVID-19 crisis on its own. The fleet will be reduced from 113 aircraft to "more than 90". New international alliances will be discussed once codesharing with Delta will expire on 24 May.[15]

Financial and operating problems

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Further information: Financial situation of Alitalia

Corporate affairs

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Advertising

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A variety of different slogans have been used by Alitalia. The following are examples of slogans used by Alitalia in the 2010s:

  • "Alitalia vola con te" (Alitalia flies with you)[16]
  • "Fatti per volare alto" (Made to fly high)[17]
  • "Alitalia, al lavoro per te" (Alitalia, working for you)[18]
  • "Muoviamo chi muove l'Italia" (We move those who move Italy)[19]
  • "Scegli come volare" (Choose how to fly)[20]
  • "The pleasure of flying Made in Italy"[21]

In 2014, the company adopted a new slogan[22]

  • "Where the journey meets the destination." (International advertisement)

Alitalia Cargo

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An Alitalia Cargo McDonnell Douglas MD-11. (2008)

Established in 1947, Alitalia Cargo became a member of SkyTeam Cargo in 2001. Destinations concentrated on strategic markets in China, Korea, Japan and the USA.

Alitalia Cargo had a fleet of 5 MD-11 freighter aircraft operating from Malpensa International Airport. Due to financial turmoil Alitalia cargo division was sold off to new owners in 2009.

Alitalia Cargo ceased operations on 12 January 2009.

Alitalia Cargo operated three special Boeing 747 aircraft that were customized to hold 56 Cadillac Allantés each. Chassis were shipped from Detroit to Italy. The completed bodies were shipped another 3,300 miles (5,300 km) from Italy in specially equipped Boeing 747s, 56 at a time, back to Cadillac's Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly plant.[23]

Destinations

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Main article: List of Alitalia destinations

Alitalia serves 97 destinations (as of October 2019). Alitalia's hub is at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport. Four other Italian airports are focus cities.[1]

Fleet

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Current fleet

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Alitalia mainline fleet
Aircraft Image In service Orders Passengers Notes
B E+ E Total Refs
Airbus A319-100   22 — — — 144 144 [24]
Airbus A320-200   38 — — — 171 171 [25]
174 174
180 180
Airbus A321-100   5 — — — 200 200 [26] Will be phased out in 2020.[27]
Airbus A330-200   14 — 22 17 219 256 [28] One painted in SkyTeam special livery.
— 240 262 Two aircraft will be phased out in June 2020.[29]
Boeing 777-200ER   11 — 30 24 239 293 [30] One painted in SkyTeam special livery.
Boeing 777-300ER   1 — 30 24 328 382 [31] Will be phased out in 2020.[32]
Total 91 —

Fleet development

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Between 2009 and 2011, Alitalia renewed its fleet with 34 new aircraft, while 26 older planes were retired. The renewal process ended in early 2013.[33] These new planes are not owned by Alitalia itself but are leased mostly from Aircraft Purchase Fleet, an Irish leasing company created by former Air One owner Carlo Toto primarily to purchase the new Alitalia fleet.[34] Following the Air One merger, the entire fleet that was not already leased from other lessors, plus the former Air One fleet that was owned by Air One outright, came under the ownership of APF, a subsidiary of Toto's Italian conglomerate Toto Holding. The entire fleet, except the two new A330s, is now on the Irish registry instead of the Italian registry.

Historical fleet

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Main article: List of aircraft operated by Alitalia
Alitalia-CAI historical fleet
Aircraft Introduced Retired Total
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 1983 2012 90
Alitalia-LAI historical fleet from 60s onwards [35]
Aircraft Introduced Retired Total
CRJ900 2011 2012 10
ATR 42 1996 1997 8
ATR 72 1996 1997 6
Airbus A300 1980 1998 14
Boeing 727-200 1977 1985 6
Boeing 737-200 1992 1995 2
Boeing 747-100 1970 1981 2
Boeing 747-200B 1971 2006 19
Boeing 747-400 2000 2002 1
Boeing 767-300ER 1994 2012 14
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 1983 2012 90
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 1993 2009 8
Douglas DC-8 1960 1988 27
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 1967 1998 46
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 1973 1986 8
  • Alitalia during the 1960s started leading European airlines into the Jet Age and it became the first airline in Europe to adopt an all jet aircraft fleet in 1969.[36]
  • The Boeing 767-300ER was introduced to the Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane fleet in 1994, and retired after 17 years of service in 2012. The last 767 flight was AZ845 from Accra via Lagos to Rome on 25 October 2012.[37]
  • The McDonnell Douglas MD-82 was introduced to the Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane fleet in 1983, and then retired in 2012 after 29 years of service. The last flight with this aircraft type operated on 27 October 2012 using the plane with registration I-DATI on flight AZ1740 (Catania-Milan-Linate). The same aircraft on 17 December 2012 operated a memorial flight from Rome-Fiumicino Airport to Trieste Airport with journalists and ex-Alitalia's CEO Andrea Ragnetti on board. During landing, I-DATI was supported by Frecce Tricolori; they did a show for the occasion.[citation needed]

Services

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Accidents and incidents

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Network". Alitalia. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 July 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Relazione ai sensi dell'articolo 1, comma 1-bis del decreto legge 27 aprile 2018, n. 38, convertito con modificazioni in legge 21 giugno 2018, n. 77" (PDF). Amministrazionestraordinariaalitiasai.com. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  4. ^ Hofmann, Kurt (5 April 2017). "24-hour strike forces Alitalia to cancel 394 flights". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Contacts". Alitalia Corporate. Retrieved 24 December 2016. Headquarter Via Alberto Nassetti SNC 00054 Fiumicino.
  6. ^ "Alitalians Do it Better: The Italian Revival". airport-technology.com. 24 March 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2012.[unreliable source?]
  7. ^ "The Anglo-Italian Agreement". Flight International. 18 July 1946. p. 70. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  8. ^ "World Airline Directory". Flight International. 22 April 1978. p. 1134. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference IlPuntoDue was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Di Leo, Luca; Sorlini, Gordon (21 November 2008). "Alitalia Rescue Plan Receives Governmental Green Light". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  11. ^ Deepa Babington (19 November 2008). "Italy agrees sale of Alitalia to CAI consortium". Reuters.com. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Alitalia, Fantozzi accetta l'offerta di Cai: 1.052 milioni" (in Italian). SKY TG 24. 21 November 2008.
  13. ^ "Boykott CAI (Alitalia+AirOne)". Gurgle Italy. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  14. ^ "Alitalia, vola italiano ma a quale prezzo." (Archive, shows an Italian translation of a 3 October 2008 cable from the USA Embassy Rome, see in the original English, Archive) La Repubblica.
  15. ^ https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-italy-alitalia-idUSKCN2252XQ
  16. ^ EDI. "Alitalia, Vola con te". Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  17. ^ "Alitalia flights and customer reviews". Europelowcost. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
  18. ^ Alitalia. Alitalia, al lovoro per te. Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  19. ^ Varisco, Giorgio (3 June 2012). Airbus A320-214 Alitalia ("Muoviamo chi muove l'Italia" livery) – Milano Linate. flickr. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  20. ^ Alitalia (4 December 2013). Alitalia Scegli come volare. YouTube (in Italian). Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  21. ^ "Alitalia (Home)". Alitalia. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2016.
  22. ^ "'Alitalians do it better' new motto. Etihad CEO presents slogan for Alitalia staff to wear" (in Italian). ansa.it. 12 September 2014.
  23. ^ John Monzo. "Allanté History". Cadillac Allanté / XLR Club. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
  24. ^ "Seat map: A319" (PDF). Alitalia. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  25. ^ "Seat map: A320" (PDF). Alitalia. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  26. ^ "Seat map: A321" (PDF). Alitalia. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  27. ^ Berberi, Leonard (21 February 2020). "Alitalia taglia le rotte per Santiago e Seul: perdono 50 milioni di euro all'anno". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  28. ^ "Seat map: A330" (PDF). Alitalia. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Retirement A330-200".
  30. ^ "Seat map: B777-200" (PDF). Alitalia. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  31. ^ "Seat map: B777-300" (PDF). Alitalia. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  32. ^ "New Alitalia to Exit SkyTeam Transatlantic Joint Venture, Expand Long-Haul Fleet". AirlineGeeks.com. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2011 results was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference apfl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ Flotta Storica, azfleet.info
  36. ^ "Italy: Alitalia's rich heritage".
  37. ^ airlinehubbuzz.com – Alitalia 767s leave the fleet 26 October 2012
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