ITA Airways is set to bring back elements of its iconic Alitalia brand before 2024 is out, the airline has announced, in a move intended to tap into nostalgia for the Italian flag-carrier’s predecessor and conjure an image of excellence.
A beloved brand despite chronic troubles
Aged 74 in 2021, Alitalia became ITA in an attempt to shake off strategic mistakes, inefficiencies and labour issues that had culminated in six failed rescue attempts in just 12 years. It received billions in government bailouts and loans after privatisation in 2008 and was hard hit by Covid-19 travel restrictions, losing €430 million in the first half of 2020 at the peak of the pandemic. Nearly a third of its 11,000 workforce was laid off in the transition and restructure from Alitalia to ITA.
Despite those difficulties, the airline’s former incarnation retains a special place in some Italian hearts as (in its own words) “one of the world’s pioneers in the field of aeronautics”. Having lost all its fleet after the Second World War, it underwent a post-war recovery period aided by the British, whose BAE systems supplied aircraft at a knockdown price and helped to train technicians.
In addition to those throwbacks, the name Alitalia is associated with a golden age of aviation that saw Hollywood legends like Sofia Loren fly the Alitalia skies. Even the Pope became an investor in and an ambassador for the carrier, with his flight nicknamed “Shepherd One.”
“An important asset” amid better half-yearly results
Ironically, not all the company’s aircraft underwent an immediate change of livery when ITA was created, whether for cost-saving purposes or because sentiment was running too high. Now ITA says the Alitalia brand is “an important asset”. By reviving its power in the public imagination, using taglines such as “inspired by Alitalia” and through planned nods back towards the heirloom white, green and red brand colours, Chairman Antonino Turicchi said the company aimed to convey its values of excellence in air transport.
Recently acquired by Lufthansa Group, ITA has been buoyed by favourable half-yearly results for 2024. These show a 26% increase in passenger numbers to over 8.3 million and €1.4 billion in revenue, which represents a €300 million increase compared to 2023.
In addition to the investment in heritage branding, the airline is planning an expansion of its Milan Linate Airport lounge, which will eventually allow the facility to welcome up to 400 guests per day.
