ITA Airways is going all-Airbus. Italy’s new national airline has inherited a fleet of aging A319s, A320s, and A330s from its predecessor Alitalia. However, starting next year, it will also be operating brand new aircraft. Deliveries of 59 new jets will commence in the first quarter of 2022 and include 22 A220s and 17 A330neos.

 Alitalia had 95 jets in its fleet up until the end, with an average age of 15.5 years. Meanwhile, ITA is starting out with 52 planes, averaging 14.4 years. The former flew ten Boeing 777s and 15 Embraer regional aircraft. However, ITA will have an all-Airbus fleet, consisting at the moment of 18 A319-100s, 27 A320-200s, and seven A330-200s.Thirty-four out of the 52 jets in ITA’s fleet are leased from a long list of lessors, including Aergo Capital, ALC, Voyager, and AerCap. The airline owns 12 A319s and six A320s outright. The youngest of the fleet is an A319 at 8.8 years of age, while the oldest is a distinguished A320 at 22.8 years. Currently, as many as 17 of the carrier’s aircraft are still listed as parked.

MoU with Airbus for 28 jets

Italy does not intend to reconquer the skies with just an aging fleet of jets, however. The airline has signed an MoU with Airbus for the purchase of 28 new aircraft, with deliveries to start taking place in the first quarter of next year. The order includes 10 Airbus A330neos, 11 A320neo family aircraft, and seven A220s.

Leasing another 31 through ALC

Furthermore, ITA has signed a leasing agreement with ALC for 31 new aircraft from the lessor’s orderbook with Airbus. This includes 15 A220s, two A320neos, nine A321neos, and five A330-900s.

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