ITA Gets Closer To Launch With Certification Test Flights Planned

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Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA) is gearing up for test flights this month amid the renting of an Alitalia Airbus A330. The new Italian flag carrier has made several moves to prepare for its launch this fall, and now it is one step closer to reaching its goal.

Alitalia Airbus A330-202 EI-EJM
Alitalia’s A330 aircraft will still have a role going forward. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Going through the motions

At the end of last month, the shareholders of ITA met to approve a €700 million ($830 million) capital increase. This progress was a crucial factor in the setup of Italy’s new national carrier. The money will be helpful in the effort to purchase assets from the old firm ahead of the airline’s launch of operations on October 15th.

A familiar model

Speaking of assets from the old carrier, ITA is borrowing an A330-200 from Alitalia to conduct tests to earn Italian Civil Aviation Authority / Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (ENAC) certification. According to ch-aviation, registration EI-EJN first arrived at Alitalia’s facilities on May 29th, 2012. The plane can fit 219 passengers in economy 17 in premium economy, and 20 in business.

Alitalia Airbus A330-200
The A330 is one of ten units of the type that have been sitting on the ground at Alitalia’s facilities. Photo: Getty Images

Now, “Il Tintoretto” has been spotted with an ITA logo plastered on its livery, drawing resemblance with Alitalia’s branding. Corriere della Sera adds that the aircraft costs $200,000 a month to rent.

The last long-haul trip that EI-EJN made was on July 21st when it flew from Tokyo to Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci (Fiumicino) International Airport. After that, the last recorded flight was on August 4th when it left Rome at 14:45 CEST to land back 25 minutes later.

The plane is one of the two planes that will conduct the test flights, which are expected to begin next week. The other aircraft is an Airbus A320, which is also from Alitalia’s facilities.

Alitalia Boeing 777-2Q8(ER) EI-FNI
Photo: Alitalia also holds Boeing 777, Airbus A319, A320, and A321 aircraft. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

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A fresh outlook

There are high expectations with the new outfit as it revises its strategy to focus on long-haul and cargo services. During the startup period, ITA will mainly utilize 52 planes that are currently in Alitalia’s fleet. There could be up to 147 fleet members in the years to come after operations get fully underway.

Altogether, with the arrival of this A330-200, ITA is on its way to deploying Alitalia’s trusted fleet later this year on its own services. There have been several ups and downs with Italy’s aviation industry over the last few years. Undoubtedly, the country’s officials will be keen for the fresh start to begin.

What are your thoughts about ITA renting Alitalia’s Airbus A330-200 to conduct its test flights ahead of the launch of operations? What do you make of the future of Italy’s aviation industry? Let us know what you think of the new carrier and its prospects in the comment section.



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