ITA Airways Celebrates One-year Anniversary

Italian flag-carrier Italia Trasporto Aereo, or ITA Airways, on Saturday celebrated its one-year anniversary.

ITA Airways’ maiden flight, number AZ1637 on the Milan Linate – Bari route, took off on 15 October 2021, at 6:20 am, five minutes ahead of schedule.

Since its maiden flight, the airline has carried 9 million passengers and has recorded excellent performance in terms of regularity, recording an index of 99.9 percent and punctuality, achieving record peaks, despite the critical issues caused by a troubled airport sector.

‘A year of firsts’

In a statement, the airline’s management said: “This first year has been very important and full of ‘firsts’, despite the difficulties experienced by the industry as a whole, due to Covid first and then the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. However, in spite of everything, and thanks to the commitment and dedication of the company’s staff, ITA Airways has stuck to its plan, which is grounded in four core objectives – sustainability, digitisation, innovation and customer focus – to be achieved under the banner of the Made in Italy”.

ITA Airways started with 52 aircraft (7 wide body and 45 narrow body). The fleet currently consists of 69 aircraft, including 6 new Airbus A350s, 8 A330-200s, 31 A320ceos and 18 A319ceos. The line-up will also comprise four new Airbus A220 planes from October. The first two, with the “Born To Be Sustainable” livery, made their first commercial flight on Sunday, 16 October. According to ITA Airways, the new planes will contribute to the carrier becoming the greenest in Europe with 80 percent of new generation aircraft in the fleet by 2026.

‘You are our wings’

ITA Airways celebrated its first birthday with a new advertising campaign. Dedicated precisely to its passengers, the campaign consists of a 60-second TV spot with the claim “You are our wings”. Featuring a voice over by the talented Virginia Raffaele, the creative concept of the campaign is based on a comparison between the company’s first year and a child of the same age.

“Twelve months on today, ITA Airways is considered a ‘case study’, a model start-up, that has managed to build its growth on the recovery of air transport,” the airline’s management said.

New intercontinental destinations

On the occasion of its one-year anniversary, ITA Airways announced new intercontinental destinations for the Winter 2022/2023 season from Rome Fiumicino to Tokyo, New Delhi and Malè.

The new intercontinental destinations are in addition to ITA Airways flights to New York, operated from both Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa, and those to Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires, operated from Rome Fiumicino.

Among the many new features of ITA Airways, a new in-flight entertainment program is in the pipeline, with a total of 238 contents including films, TV and music playlists.

The airline has also developed a new creative concept for its in-flight meals, which have been designed to ensure passengers experience top-quality Italian food and wine based on specific themes.