Alitalia

Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A.
IATA ICAO Call sign
AZ AZA ALITALIA
Founded
  • 16 September 1946 (1946-09-16)
    (as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A.)
  • 12 January 2009 (2009-01-12)
    (as Alitalia - Compagnia Aerea Italiana S.p.A.)[2]
  • 1 January 2015 (2015-01-01)
    (as Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A.)
Commenced operations5 May 1947 (1947-05-05)
Ceased operations15 October 2021 (2021-10-15)
AOC #I-130
Hubs
Frequent-flyer programMilleMiglia
Alliance
Subsidiaries
Parent companyGovernment of Italy (via MEF)
HeadquartersFiumicino, Rome, Italy

Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A.,[3][4] operating as Alitalia (Italian pronunciation: [aliˈtaːlja]), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy.[5] The company had its head office in Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital.[6] The airline was owned by the Government of Italy as a nationalized business from its founding in 1946 until it was privatized in 2009. However, it struggled with profitability whilst operating as a private company, including failed negotiations to sell to other private parties. The airline entered extraordinary administration in 2017 following many years of financial losses.[7] The Italian government eventually took back ownership of the airline in March 2020.

The airline operated a fleet of Airbus A319-100, Airbus A320-200, Airbus A321-100, Airbus A330-200, and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft to over 34 scheduled domestic, European and intercontinental destinations. The airline operated from its main hub at Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome. The airline was a full member of the SkyTeam alliance, and it had codeshare agreements with 42 airlines. In 2018, the airline was the twelfth-largest airline in Europe.

On 24 August 2021, Alitalia announced that it would cease operations on 15 October 2021,[8] and that passengers with tickets for later flights could reschedule on an earlier flight or request a refund.[9][10]

On 15 October 2021, in a hybrid reorganization, Alitalia sold its entire operation to ITA Airways, a newly formed state-owned flag carrier.[11]

  1. ^ "Modello di Organizzazione, Gestione e Controllo ex D.LGS 231/01" (PDF). Alitalia – Compagnia Aerea Italiana S.p.A. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2015.
  2. ^ Today's Alitalia - Compagnia Aerea Italiana (CAI) is distinct from Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane (LAI), which was founded in 1946. In 2009, CAI acquired the callsign, branding rights, and other assets that once belonged to LAI. [1]
  3. ^ "Profilo - Alitalia". corporate.alitalia.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Alitalia relaunches with new execs, new name, new routes". ch-aviation. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Contacts". Alitalia Corporate. Retrieved 24 December 2016. Headquarter Via Alberto Nassetti SNC 00054 Fiumicino.
  7. ^ Buyck, Cathy. "Alitalia Successor ITA Confirms October 15 Launch". Aviation International News. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Cancellation of Flights Departing from 15 October". Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
  9. ^ "CANCELLATION OF FLIGHTS DEPARTING FROM 15 OCTOBER". Alitalia. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Updated: Alitalia cancels all flights after October 15 as national airline closes for good". euronews. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. ^ Landini, Francesca (14 October 2021). "Alitalia dies after 75 turbulent years, hands over to ITA". Reuters. Retrieved 14 October 2021.