Air Italy (registered as AIR ITALY S.p.A.) was a privately owned Italian airline, headquartered in

Olbia Olbia (, ; ; ) is a city and communes of Italy, commune of 61,000 inhabitants in the Italy, Italian insular province of Sassari in northeastern Sardinia, Italy, in the historical region of Gallura. Called in the Roman age, Civita in the Middle ...

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

. In 2019, the company was the second largest airline in Italy, behind Italian

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by that government for international operations. Histo ...

Alitalia Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital. ...

, and the 40th largest in Europe by number of passengers in 2019. The airline was a subsidiary of AQA Holding, owned by Alisarda (51%) and

Qatar Airways Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. (, ''al-Qaṭariyya''), operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, the airline operates a hub-and-spoke network, flying to over 170 internatio ...

(49%). The airline operated a fleet of

Boeing 737NG The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it has been ...

Boeing 737 MAX The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation and incorporates more efficient CFM International LEAP engin ...

8 and

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body airliner developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus began developing larger A300 derivatives in the mid–1970s, giving rise to the A330 twinjet as well as the Airbus A340 quadjet, and launched both designs along ...

aircraft to over 34 scheduled domestic, European and intercontinental destinations. The airline operated from its main hub at Milan Malpensa Airport. On 11 February 2020, Air Italy ceased operations and went into

liquidation Liquidation is the process in accounting by which a Company (law), company is brought to an end. The assets and property of the business are redistributed. When a firm has been liquidated, it is sometimes referred to as :wikt:wind up#Noun, w ...

, announcing that all routes would be served until 25 February 2020 by third-party carriers. However, on 19 February 2020, the airline re-opened ticket sales for their Milan Linate-

and Rome-Fiumicino-Olbia PSO routes and operated them until 16 April 2020.

History

Background

In 1963, Alisarda was established to provide a fast and reliable air service connecting

, gateway to the newly created resort of the Costa Smeralda, and major Italian and European destinations. On 2 May 1991, the airline changed its name to Meridiana. Subsequently rebranded Meridiana Fly after the acquisition and merger of defunct Italian airline

Eurofly Eurofly was a privately owned airline based in Milan, Italy. Listed on MTA Stock Exchange and controlled by Meridiana, it was Italy's leading carrier in the leisure flights market and mainly operated international, medium to long haul, point- ...

, the airline later returned to its original Meridiana name after acquiring former charter airline Air Italy (which operated from 2005 to 2018, operating under the Meridiana brand as of 2013).

Launch of the new Air Italy

Air Italy was established on 19 February 2018. A press conference in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

announced that

Meridiana Meridiana Fly S.p.A., operating as Meridiana (formerly named ''Meridiana S.p.A.''), was a privately owned Italy, Italian airline headquartered in Olbia with its main base at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport. It operated scheduled and charter flight ...

and its subsidiary, the original Air Italy, which had been part of Meridiana since 2013, would be merged to create the new Air Italy. The focus of the company was to introduce a stable new Italian airline which could become the flagship carrier of Italy. Air Italy's competitor

, the Italian flag carrier, had filed for

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal: the process of dealing with or controlling things or people. ** Administrative assistant, traditionally known as a se ...

on 2 May 2017. The plan also introduced new branding, a new cabin experience, new airport lounge and new destinations. During the press conference, the airline expressed interest in joining the

Oneworld Oneworld (Computer reservations system, CRS: *O, stylised as oneworld) is a global airline alliance consisting of 14 member airlines. It was founded on 1 February 1999. The alliance's stated objective is to be the first choice airline alliance f ...

airline alliance. The airline also announced that

would have a Codeshare agreement with the airline. All branding and business of the new Air Italy took effect on 1 March 2018. The

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

, and AOC codes were merged into the new Air Italy. The airline website was relaunched with the re-branding. Aircraft transferred from

still used the Meridiana

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

with the Air Italy name.

codeshare agreements and slots were transferred to the new Air Italy brand.

2018–2019

In April 2018, Air Italy and

launched their planned codeshare on selected flights. On 18 April 2018, the airline appointed Neil Mills as chief operating officer (COO); he had worked with the recently

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

airline Air Berlin. The airline introduced Rossen Dimitrov as chief customer experience officer (CCEO) on 22 April. On 22 April 2018, Air Italy became the Italian launch customer of the

Boeing 737 MAX 8 The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737. It succeeds the Boeing 737 Next Generation and incorporates more efficient CFM International LEAP eng ...

. The first aircraft, fully painted, was introduced to the public on Air Italy's social media pages and delivered at a handover ceremony with

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

executives at Boeing's Everett Delivery Centre in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

on 11 May 2018. The airline celebrated the delivery of the aircraft on 14 May after the aircraft was handed over to Air Italy in Seattle. It then held a special press conference in a hangar at its Milan–Malpensa hub. The airline also introduced its new

uniform A uniform is a variety of costume worn by members of an organization while usually participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency serv ...

s. On 1 June 2018, Air Italy launched its new Milan Malpensa Airport to

John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...

flight with the airline's first Airbus A330-200. The flight also marked the launch of its new seatback entertainment platform, onboard amenities and meal services. Air Italy continued to expand operations, launching more routes and services. In July, Air Italy attended the

Farnborough Airshow The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...

showcasing its second 737 MAX 8, marking the first time the airline attended the airshow. On 20 September, it released its first summer season report, stating that it had reached 90% load factor on its new US routes and carried more than 500,000 passengers to and from Sardinia. On the back of the successful results, the airline announced new frequencies. On 3 October 2018, Chief Operating Officer Neil Mills resigned for personal reasons. Rossen Dimitrov, the airline's chief customer experience officer, was appointed COO with immediate effect. In October 2018, Air Italy announced three appointments to senior positions: Elisabeth Milton as Vice President of Sales and Distribution, Nicola Pozzati as Chief Human Resources and Organisation Officer, and Simona Paccioretti as Head of Internal Auditing. Further executive appointments were made on 29 October 2018 with Captain Konstantinos Iliakis brought in as

Account Manager An account manager (AM) is a person who works for a company and is responsible for the management of sales and relationships with particular customers. An account manager maintains the company's existing relationships with a client or group of cli ...

and chief flight and ground operations officer. On 21 November, Valentina Quagliata was appointed SVP for Network, Planning, and Strategy. On the same day, Air Italy also announced a codeshare agreement with

LATAM Brasil LATAM Airlines Brasil, formerly TAM Linhas Aéreas, is the Brazilian brand of LATAM Airlines Group operating international and domestic flights from hubs in Brasília, Fortaleza, and São Paulo. According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of ...

, effective immediately for selected flights between Italy and São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport. In December 2018, Air Italy announced the launch of its Milan Malpensa to

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

and

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport is the international airport serving Mumbai, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the second-busiest airport in India in terms of total and international passenger traffic a ...

, India. Air Italy also announced four new routes to North America: from Milan Malpensa to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, and

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in the United States and Milan Malpensa to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. On 11 February 2019, Air Italy announced frequency increase on flights to Toronto and Miami. On 15 February, it announced its sponsorship of Toronto Pride as official European carrier. On 19 February, Air Italy received a Business Traveller "Cellar in the sky 2018" award. On 25 February, the airline announced it was the official carrier of the 2019 Gelato Festival. On 28 February, it signed a third codeshare agreement with

Bulgaria Air Bulgaria Air () is the flag carrier airline of Bulgaria, with its headquarters at Vasil Levski Sofia Airport in Sofia. The company is owned by Chimimport AD and is a leader in terms of local market share. The airline operates short and medium ha ...

. On 12 March 2019, during the

Boeing 737 MAX groundings The Boeing 737 MAX passenger airliner was Aircraft on ground, grounded worldwide between March 2019 and December 2020, and again during January 2024, after 346 people died in two similar crashes in less than five months: Lion Air Flight 610 ...

, Air Italy grounded all its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft as a result of a

European Aviation Safety Agency The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...

directive. Two days after the grounding, Air Italy's codeshare partner Bulgaria Air leased an A319 to Air Italy. On 14 March, Air Italy announced that Sergio Boscarol, Head of Corporate and Commercial HR at rival

, had been named Air Italy's Chief Human Resources and Organization Officer. On 3 April 2019, the airline launched its Milan to

Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...

flight and its new business class on-board experience. On 10 April 2019, it launched its Milan to

San Francisco International Airport San Francisco International Airport is the primary international airport for the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. Owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco, the airport has a San Francisco mailing ...

flight. On 18 April, the airline publicly responded to allegations from the top three US airlines,

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

, and United, that Air Italy was being used as a Fifth Freedom airline by Qatar Airways. Later that week, Air Italy made an announcement of its upcoming winter routes and also announced that flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Toronto would be seasonal. On 6 May 2019, Air Italy launched its third North American destination from Milan to

Toronto Pearson International Airport Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surrounding region known as the Golden Horseshoe. Pearson is the ...

. Later that month, it announced a new partnership with comedienne Caroline Reid (known as Pam Ann) serving as Air Italy's global

brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person paid by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to embody the ...

. On 17 May 2019, Air Italy announced a rebranding of its

frequent-flyer program A frequent-flyer programme (FFP) is a loyalty program offered by an airline. Many airlines have frequent-flyer programmes designed to encourage airline customers enrolled in the programme to accumulate points (also called miles, kilometres, ...

, changing the name from Meridiana Club to @MyAirItalyClub. On 14 June 2019, Air Italy signed a Special Prorate Agreement with

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the fifth-largest airline in North America when measured by scheduled passengers carried, as of 2024. Alaska, togethe ...

adding more connections to ten new US/Mexico destinations, including Anchorage, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Seattle, Portland, Palm Springs, San Diego, Newark, San Jose, CA and Guadalajara, Mexico. On 5 July, the airline announced its winter schedule with new destinations to the Maldives, Tenerife, Mombasa and Zanzibar. It announced the adoption of Fast Track at its Milan Malpensa hub and Linate airport on 8 July. On 10 July, Air Italy signed a second Special Prorate Agreement with Aegean Airlines, with new connections to Athens. On 10 September 2019, Air Italy was awarded four stars in the annual APEX passenger ratings. On 11 September, the airline launched new inflight menus and services for economy passengers on long-haul flights. On 17 September, it received an award for most

LGBTQ+ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...

friendly Italian airline. In September 2019, Air Italy won AIR Convention Europe's Diversity Award and Most Captivating Marketing Project award. On 8 November 2019, Air Italy appointed Shiju Thomas chief information officer and on 12 November, Yousef Elzaro

chief financial officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

. On 14 November, Air Italy's board of directors announced it had appointed Roberto Spada to replace Francesco Violante, who stepped down as

chairperson The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

on 31 October 2019.

Liquidation

On 11 February 2020, Air Italy ceased its own operations, following a Air Italy shareholders' meeting (Alisarda and Qatar Airways through AQA Holding S.p.A.). According to the airline, its flights were operated by other carriers according to the original schedule between 11 and 25 February.airitaly.com – Milano, February 11th 2020 14:30
(Italian, English) 11 February 2020businessinsider.de – Air Italy will end operations and liquidate, becoming the latest airline to fail
11 February 2020 On 19 February, Air Italy reopened ticket sales for two

public service obligation In the context of European Union law, a public service obligation or PSO is an obligation imposed on an organisation by legislation or contract to provide a service of general interest within EU territories. PSOs may operate in any field of publi ...

(PSO) routes, Milan Linate-Olbia and Rome-Fiumicino-Olbia, planning to operate on them between 14 March and 16 April, the date of PSO contract expiry. The airline ultimately did so until 3 February 2020, when the

Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport Olbia-Costa Smeralda-Prince Karim Aga Khan IV Airport () is an airport in Olbia, Sardinia, Italy. It was the primary operating base for Italian airline Air Italy (2005–2018), Air Italy whose headquarters were located at the airport. It mostly ...

closed due to maintenance work for 40 days. The last Air Italy flight to land at Milan Malpensa Airport was Flight IG996, operated by an Wamos Air Airbus A330-200, from Male Airport, landing at 17:00 on 26 February 2020. On 25 August 2020, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) suspended Air Italy's air transport licence.

Corporate affairs

Ownership and structure

Air Italy S.p.A. was 100% owned by its parent company AQA Holding S.p.A., founded on 2 September 2017 after

purchased a 49% stake in

(later rebranded the new Air Italy). Alisarda retained a 51% stake. Air Italy had three subsidiaries inherited from

after a merger with the former Air Italy to form a new airline. * Meridiana Maintenance S.p.A., an airline maintenance company, founded after Meridiana merged with Italian airline

, with a hangar is located at

, Italy next to the Air Italy headquarters. On 10 September 2018, Air Italy announced it would be insourcing Meridiana Maintenance as of 1 October 2018. * Wokita S.r.l, a tour operator, offering a range of tourism products such as package tours, flights, hotels and resorts in seaside areas, yachting and activity holidays. * Air Italy Fleet Management Company S.p.A., a temporarily created company (formerly the original Air Italy) to remain in operation until all original Meridiana aircraft (Boeing 737-700, 737-800, 767-300ER) leases expired.

Head office and Leadership

Air Italy's headquarters were located in

, Italy, formerly owned by Meridiana. The Leadership team at Air Italy was as follows: * Roberto Spada,

Chairperson The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

* Rossen Dimitrov, chief operating officer * Shiju Thomas, chief information officer * Yousef Elzaro, chief financial officer * Ct. Konstantinos Iliakis, Chief Flight and Ground Operations Officer * Sergio Boscarol, Chief Human Resources and Organization Officer

Corporate identity

The Air Italy logo was designed with maroon and mint green colors that were loosely based on the maroon from the

logo. The airline had a special design to make the letter "Y" reminiscent of a bird. The aircraft livery was white with the billboard style logo painted across the fuselage. It also included a

collage Collage (, from the , "to glue" or "to stick together") is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

of the stylistic "Y" taken from the logo on the aircraft fin. The Y was also present on the aircraft engines.

Sponsorships

Air Italy sponsored a professional sports team, the Italian Dinamo Sassari basketball team.

Controversies

The United States' three largest airlines,

, and United, made allegations regarding Air Italy's ownership and operation because of its support from

. Air Italy made a public statement on the issue with a press release on 18 April 2019. Ed Bastian, chief executive officer of Delta, posted an

op-ed An op-ed, short for "opposite the editorial page," is a type of written prose commonly found in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. They usually represent a writer's strong and focused opinion on an issue of relevance to a targeted a ...

article on the airline in December 2018 claiming that since Qatar Airways is a state-funded airline of Qatar supporting a nearly bankrupt Italian airline, it was "putting thousands of American jobs at risk". A few US politicians wrote letters to

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

Mike Pompeo Michael Richard Pompeo (; born December 30, 1963) is an American retired politician who served in the First presidency of Donald Trump#Administration, first administration of Donald Trump as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) fr ...

, alleging that Qatar was in violation of the United States-Qatar Open Skies Policy. Air Italy and Qatar Airways denied the allegations, stating that they were borne of Qatar Airways' 49% stake in Air Italy's parent company.

Destinations

As of February 2019, Air Italy operated to 21 year-round and five seasonal destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. Air Italy aimed to fly on more than 50 year-round routes by 2022, as stated in the airline's five-year plan. The airline operated most flights out of its main Milan Malpensa hub, and a second network out of its Olbia, Sardinia focus city.

Codeshare agreements

Air Italy had codeshare agreements with the following airlines: * Air Malta * Air Moldova *

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, compri ...

* Oman Air *

* S7 Airlines

Special Prorate Agreement

Air Italy had Special Prorate Agreements with the following airlines: * Aegean Airlines *

El Al EL AL Israel Airlines Ltd. (), trading as EL AL (, "Upwards", "To the Skies", or "Skywards", stylized as ELAL; ) is the flag carrier of Israel. Since its inaugural flight from Geneva to Tel Aviv in September 1948, the airline has grown to serve ...

Finnair Finnair Plc (, ) is the flag carrier and largest full-service legacy airline of Finland, with headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its airline hub, hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international ...

Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. ( ) is a commercial U.S. airline headquartered in Honolulu, and a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group. It is the largest operator of commercial flights to and from the island state of Hawaiʻi, and the tenth largest ...

Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines, commonly known as PIA, is the flag carrier of Pakistan. With its primary hub at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, the airline also operates from its secondary hubs at Allama Iqbal International Airport ...

Tunisair Tunisair () is the national airline of Tunisia. Formed in 1948, it operates scheduled international services to four continents. Its main base is Tunis–Carthage International Airport. The airline's head office is in Tunis, near Tunis Airport. ...

Fleet

Final fleet

At the time Air Italy ceased operations in February 2020, airline's fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

Fleet development

After rebranding of the airline as Air Italy, Boeing 737 aircraft that had been operated by

were used to operate the airline's route network. Air Italy planned to develop its fleet by operating 50 new aircraft by 2022, by sub-leasing 20

8s and 30 Boeing 787-8s from

, with entry into service between 2018 and 2022. From 2018 to 2019, Qatar Airways planned to lease five of its own Airbus A330-200s to Air Italy at market rate, with Boeing 787-8s transferred to Air Italy from mid-2019 after the delivery of

Boeing 787-9 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American Wide-body aircraft, wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Boeing Sonic Cruiser, Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the ...

s to Qatar Airways during the same period. In May 2019, the airline said that due to delays in the delivery of Qatar Airways' Boeing 787-9s, the planned transfer of Qatar's Boeing 787-8s to Air Italy had been delayed, resulting in its decision to expand long-haul operations with additional Airbus A330s from Qatar Airways. Additionally, after the airline's first three Boeing 737 MAX 8s were grounded, the possibility of transitioning to an Airbus

narrow-body A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast airline seat, seating in a aircraft cabin, cabin less than in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner ...

fleet was considered.

Historical Air Italy Fleet

Air Italy used to operate the following aircraft types:

Onboard services

Business class

Business class was offered on Air Italy's Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Business class on the Airbus A330 was configured with flat-bed seats in a 2-2-2 layout, while the Boeing 737 MAX was configured with seats in a 3–3 layout identical to that of economy class, but with the middle seat blocked. On flights operated by the Airbus A330, an amenity kit by Italian brands ''Fedon'' and ''Acca Kappa,'' along with designer pajamas and slippers were provided, and an extensive, personalized meal service was offered. All business class seats were also equipped with AC power ports.

Economy class

Economy class on the Airbus A330 was fitted with slimline seats in a 2-4-2 layout, while economy class on the Boeing 737 and 737 MAX was fitted with seats in a 3–3 layout. AC power ports were available, but only on the airline's Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. On medium and long-haul flights, a complimentary meal was served, while short-haul flights offered a complementary drinks service with additional snacks.

In-flight entertainment

The airline's

in-flight entertainment In-flight entertainment (IFE) refers to entertainment and other value-added services available to aircraft passengers during a flight. Frequently managed by content service providers, the types of in-flight entertainment and their content vary s ...

was only available on its Airbus A330 aircraft, equipped with personal seat-back television screens and USB charging ports at every seat. The A330 aircraft also offered in-flight satellite

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...

for an additional fee. For business class passengers, 60MB of complimentary Wi-Fi data was provided.

In-flight magazine

Air Italy's in-flight magazine was called ''Atmosphere'' and was inherited from Meridiana. It was produced by travel media experts Ink, based in the UK.

Frequent-flyer program

''@MyAirItalyClub'' was Air Italy's

, launched on 17 May 2019. Through the program, customers could earn

Avios International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A., trading as International Airlines Group and usually shortened to IAG, is a British-Spanish multinational airline holding company with its registered office in Madrid, Spain, and its corporate h ...

points from Air Italy flights; these could also be earned or redeemed with partner airlines

and

, as well as partner car rentals, hotel bookings, news subscriptions, utilities, and more. The program used to be known as Meridiana Club.

References

Notes

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Air Italy (2018-2020) Defunct airlines of Italy Airlines established in 2018 Airlines disestablished in 2020 Defunct low-cost airlines Defunct European low-cost airlines AQA Holding S.p.A. Olbia Milan Italian brands Transport in Sardinia Transport in Milan