Today, October 14th, 2021, marks the end of one of Europe’s oldest legacy airlines. Originally founded as Alitalia Linee Aeree Italiane following an Anglo-Italian agreement between the Italian government and British European Airways on September 16th, 1946, the airline operated its inaugural flight with a Fiat G-12 Alcione piloted by Virginio Reinero. The flight departed from Turin, made a stop in Catania on the island of Sicily, and concluded in Rome the city that would later become the carrier’s primary hub. On October 31st, 1957, Alitalia merged with Linee Aeree Italiane, officially adopting the iconic name Alitalia.
At the time, Alitalia was owned primarily by the Italian Ministry of the Treasury, along with several other shareholders, including company employees, Air France, and KLM, with the Italian government maintaining majority control. In the early 1960s, as part of a modernization effort to replace its aging fleet of piston-engine Douglas DC-7s and Vickers Viscounts, Alitalia entered the jet age with the introduction of the popular short-haul Sud Caravelle and the long-range intercontinental Douglas DC-8. In the years that followed, the airline continued to operate various aircraft from the Douglas and later McDonnell Douglas lines, including the DC-9, DC-10, MD-80, and MD-11.
Throughout the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, Alitalia operated a small fleet of the iconic Boeing 747-200 Jumbo Jets, which served the airline’s busiest intercontinental routes. In the mid-1990s, the carrier launched a major fleet modernization program, focusing on the Airbus A320 family for its European, North African, and Middle Eastern routes. For long-haul operations, Alitalia introduced the Airbus A330-200 and replaced its Boeing 747-200s with the more fuel-efficient twin-engine Boeing 777-200, which was primarily deployed on high-demand North and Latin American routes.
Over the years, Alitalia also served as the official airline of the Vatican, providing chartered flights for the Pope. The Pope’s aircraft is often referred to by the press as “Shepherd One,” while its official callsign is “Volo Papale” (Papal Flight), followed by a flight number.
Over the past three decades, the rise of low-cost carriers and high-speed rail travel plunged Alitalia into severe financial difficulties, ultimately bringing the airline to the brink of collapse. Constrained by European Union regulations, the Italian government was forced to shut down the airline and start anew. The successor, operating under the brand ITA Italia Trasporto Aereo, is set to begin operations tomorrow, October 15th, 2021, with a mixed fleet of former Alitalia Airbus A320 family aircraft and Airbus A330s. In the near future, these will be gradually replaced by newer models, including the Airbus A220, A320neo, and A330neo. As the Italians say,
“In bocca al lupo, ITA!”
