Despite forking over more than €90 million ($105 million) on Alitalia’s branding to stop its use, the new flag carrier of Italy won’t be sporting its predecessor’s colors for long. ITA Airways will introduce a new livery on its aircraft.
Sentimental value
Even though it was accepted that Alitalia will be making way for a new brand, there were some hopes that ITA would still adopt the legacy carrier’s designs. With decades of memories affiliated with the green, white and red of Alitalia, resembling the tricolor of Italy’s flag, several passengers were longing to keep the theme going into this next period.
Instead, the tricolor will be placed at the tail of the aircraft. Also, hints of the old Alitalia logo can be found at the engine.
Blue will be the prominent color of the airframe. ITA highlights that this choice of tone is a symbol of Italy’s unity and pride.
Notably, blue is the color of the country’s football team, which stood tall at the Euros this summer after winning the tournament. Known as the Azzurri (the Blues), the national team holds a significant role in Italian society with its four World Cup wins.
The carrier is starting operations with 52 planes, divided between seven widebodies and 45 narrowbodies. It seeks to scale its fleet up to 78 aircraft next year and introduce new-generation planes for a 105-member fleet by the middle of the decade.
Just last month, the firm announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus to take on 28 new jets in the form of A330neos, A220s, and A320neos.
A new era
While the switch of livery is an emotional move for many, ITA Airways CEO Fabio Lazzerini emphasizes it is the first step in the formation of a new flag carrier that will connect his country across the globe. Overall, he feels that the carrier will be represented by the hard work of those that will be part of it.
“Today is the first day of a story yet to be written. The new brand and the new livery of our aircraft are the symbol of change, of the beginning of a different adventure,” ITA Airways president Alfredo Altavilla added in a statement on Friday.
“The new national airline is an integral part of Italy’s recovery strategy, and it is a result to which all stakeholders, starting with the institutions involved, have actively contributed.”
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Born again
Ahead of the carrier’s launch on October 15th, ITA launched a special livery marked with the words Born in 2021 and Operated by ITA.
The first plane for ITA EI-EIB… pic.twitter.com/KRRvfw6M46
— Andy Monks 🛫🛬 (@AndythePandy_) October 10, 2021
These statements were painted on an all-white background, something that will be a thing of the past for ITA as the company develops.
What are your thoughts about ITA’s new livery? What do you make of the switch away from the old Alitalia livery? Let us know what you think of the move and the prospects of the airline in the comment section.
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