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Italy’s new flag carrier ITA takes off as Alitalia is permanently grounded Blog 
A new Italian airline is born.
Italy’s new national airline Italia Trasporto Aereo takes to the skies on Friday October 15 after Alitalia made its final voyage last night with a flight from Rome to Cagliari.
Alitalia, a one-time symbol of Italian style and glamour, ceased operating after 74 years, before handing over to its downsized successor ITA.
After decades of restructurings and changes of ownership, the company succumb to the devastating effects of the pandemic on the travel industry.
Alitalia ended only one year in profit this century, with the Italian government called upon to rescue the carrier many times, spending more than €8 billion just in the last three years.
Under a deal with the European Commission, ITA will be economically independent and will not be liable for any illegal state aid received by Alitalia in recent years.
The Italian government will invest €1.35 billion over three years, and the new airline will start with 52 jets and 2,800 employees, compared with around 110 aircraft and a workforce of 10,000 for Alitalia.
Under the terms of the agreement, ITA will also have to be profitable by the end of 2025.
According to reports, the carrier is on the hunt for a deal with a larger airline before the end of 2022, as analysts say it is too small to stand alone.
“ITA will start holding talks to reach a deal from next week, aiming to complete it by 2022,” chair Alfredo Altavilla said on Friday.
Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines’ chief executive Ed Bastian said he was in discussions with ITA about possible joint ventures.
ITA, which will inherit only part of Alitalia’s flight slots, obtaining 85% of slots at Milan’s Linate airport and 43% of slots at Fiumicino in Rome, will initially serve 44 destinations, set to rise to 75 by 2025.
