ITA – Italia Trasporto Aereo – announced on Thursday, it will build its fleet around Airbus-manufactured planes. A different decision compared to the first days of ITA back in 2020, when it planned to focus its long-haul fleet on the Boeing 787.
The Deal
Alitalia‘s successor has reached an outline deal with the European plane manufacturer, Airbus, to buy 23 jets. Moreover, the airline has made public that it will lease 31 more planes after commencing operations.
The deal foresees that ITA will buy 10 Airbus A330neo wide-body aircraft for long haul routes, and 11 jets from the top-selling A320neo narrow-body family. In addition, ITA will also receive seven brand new A220 for its regional routes. In total, ITA will pay € 1.5 billion ($ 1.7 billion). As for the leased jets, these will be delivered to ITA by the leasing company Air Lease Corporation.
The new fleet
For a start, ITA will begin operations with 52 planes, all inherited from the Italian flag carrier, Alitalia. The new planes, both from Airbus and Air Lease Corporation, are expected to be delivered at the end of the first quarter of 2022. Of the 23 Airbus jets, 17 are expected to be delivered within 2025, which is the span of time covered by the first ITA business plan. The A330neos are expected to be delivered to the airline later. On the other hand, the leased planes are due to arrive in the second half of 2022, with deliveries running through the end of 2025.
The new ITA fleet should enable the newly born carrier to reduce its carbon footprint by lowering fuel consumption and costs. By the end of 2025, when the first business plan is due to end, 70% of the ITA fleet will be composed of new generation jets, more eco-friendly and efficient. Moreover, by then, ITA will own one-third of its fleet.
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