ITA Airways to resurrect Alitalia brand

ITA Airways has unveiled plans to resurrect the legacy Alitialia brand, chairman Antonino Turicchi announced at a recent event in Milan.

The Italian carrier, which replaced Alitalia in 2021, will add the tagline ‘inspired by Alitalia’ as part of its brand “at select strategic touchpoints” by the end of 2024. This will then be extended to the liveries of its fleet, according to a report in Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

The Alitalia brand, an important asset owned by ITA Airways, is being enhanced through a concrete and ambitious project.

ITA Airways said the Alitalia brand is “an important asset” that will now be “enhanced” but stressed that it will “continue to uphold its distinct identity”. Turicchi said the move to incorporate the legacy brand “will complement our ‘ITA Airways’ identity to reinforce its values of excellence in air transport, which are recognised worldwide”.

The carrier, which was recently acquired by the Lufthansa Group, also presented its 2024 half-year financial results at the Milan event. The company reported revenues of €1.4 billion, up €300 million compared to the same period in 2023, with EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) of €62 million, which marks an improvement of €130 million over the same period last year.

ITA Airway’s average load factor for the first six months of 2024 also increased to 79 per cent, two percentage points higher than 2023. The airline carried more than 8.3 million passengers during the period, representing a 26 per cent increase on 2023.

The carrier also announced plans to renovate and expand its lounge at Milan Linate airport, increasing capacity to accommodate up to 400 guests per day.