75 years have passed since Alitalia made his first flight, from Turin to Catania with a stopover in Rome, operated, how could it be otherwise, by a Fiat G-12 E. 100% Italian DNA to seal the birth of Alitalia , whose creation dates back to September 19, 1946: thus a new airline took off: Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane.
More than seven decades after its creation and rise, the fall of the Italian flag carrier occurs , which disappears after years of financial turmoil that it has not been able to overcome despite numerous public and private attempts to strengthen it.
After what appeared to be the penultimate rescue attempt by the Italian state, the pandemic precipitated the final blow to the Italian flag carrier who also did not know how to adapt to the changes in the aviation sector since the 1990s, with European deregulation. His name is already entered in the history books. despite the fact that in 2019 Alitalia still operated a fleet of 95 aircraft carrying almost 20 million passengers a year to around 100 destinations.
Vintage airline poster.
OCTOBER 14, 2021: THE END OF AN ERA
Flag bearer of Italy in the skies, the 1950s marked the official launch of the airline boosted by the boom economic after the recovery of Italy years after the Second World War. In the 1960s, the celebration in Rome of the Olympic Games and its appointment as official airline was the definitive accolade for the launch of the Alitalia brand in the world.
It is during this period of time that one of his first exploits occurs; The airline designs the famous poster showing a javelin thrower with a plane flying over his head; a mythical image whose memory will always be present in the hearts of Italians.
With the arrival of the jet set and the popularity of Italy rising like the foam of Prosecco, Alitalia saw the opportunity to tell the world all the good things, or almost, of the country where it was born. And here, and thus, began his particular task of disseminating glamour, design and Italian cuisine around the world.
Fashion, always present on board, made haute couture houses like Sorelle Fontana in the 50s or Giorgio Armani years later designed not only the crew uniforms, but also some of the most memorable aircraft interiors. The gastronomy of the country , another of the airline's great bets during the golden years of aviation, became one of the favorites of travelers from half the world.
Gastronomy was one of the key pieces for the success of Alitalia.
And another milestone to add to the extensive chronology of the airline: Alitalia was also, from 1964, the official airline of the Pope , which always used the same flight number, AZ 4000, and an aircraft known as the 'Shepherd One' , the papal equivalent of Air Force One. Little, if anything, is known of what will happen from now on.
They were great years for an airline in a continuous struggle for profitability, a battle that has intensified during its last 30 years and today is evidently lost despite the efforts of the Italian Government to save it from extinction and keep its employees in their jobs. of work.
And although Alitalia will always be loved and remembered as a symbol , it is also true that it stopped providing the service that passengers deserved a long time ago, with a aging fleet and an on-board offer increasingly consumed by circumstances.
Still, despite the frustration, nothing will tarnish the obvious nostalgia for a historic airline.
ICOA, ITA
As imminent as the end of Alitalia is the arrival of ITA (Italy Trasporto Aereo) , the country's new airline, and state-owned (at least for now), which officially takes off on October 15 with a fleet of 52 aircraft , including 7 to cover a long-haul offer in full post-pandemic recovery.
According to its business development plan, it is expected that by 2025 ITA will have 105 aircraft, 23 of which will be long-haul.
With base in Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Linate , the airline takes off covering 45 destinations among which, of course, is Spain with cities like Barcelona among its routes.
Although the closure of Alitalia marks the end of an era, the truth is that there are high hopes for his successor, although not immediately.