‘Alitalia’ Brand Returns to the Skies

Editor’s Note: AirlineGeeks is proud to present our ‘Livery of the Week’ series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result. 

Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line. 

With ITA Airways now officially part of the Lufthansa Group following the E.U.-approved purchase of 41% of the shares last November, the long-troubled Italian flag carrier can now start looking at the future and plan to strategically utilize all of its assets.

One of the remnants of the past is the Alitalia brand, which ITA Airways chose to maintain during the liquidation process of the former flag carrier. For a “bargain” price of 90m Euros (over $100m at the time), ITA Airways retained the right to use the IATA two-letter code for its flight numbers (AZ) and the IATA accounting code (055) for its ticket stock as well as the use of the iconic red, white and green stylized “A” that had been the symbol of Alitalia for almost half a century.

And while the codes were transferred almost seamlessly from Alitalia to ITA Airways for continued operational use, the Alitalia logo is only now making a return to the skies. After several weeks of unconfirmed rumors following a vague announcement last September, on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14), the Italian company confirmed in a press release the introduction of an “inspired by Alitalia” sticker on three new generation aircraft of its fleet.

Honoring Italian Aviation History

The first aircraft to showcase this phrase on its livery will be the Airbus A350-900 aircraft “Valentino Rossi,” registered as EI-IFA, on its flight between Rome Fiumicino and Tokyo Haneda.

ITA Airways Airbus A350-900 EI-IFA “inspired by Alitalia” (Photo: ITA Airways)

In Summer 2025, the “Inspired by Alitalia” sticker will appear on an Airbus A321neo aircraft, usually deployed on medium-range routes, as well as an Airbus A220-100 aircraft, primarily operated on short-haul flights.

ITA Airways Airbus A350-900 EI-IFA “inspired by Alitalia” (Photo: ITA Airways)

“In this way, ITA Airways continues to work towards being the airline of choice for those not only wishing to fly to Italy but also carrying Italy in their hearts. The Alitalia brand, a key asset owned by ITA Airways, honors the history of aviation and the country with its pioneering excellence in air transport. Through this concrete and ambitious project, ITA Airways aims to associate the Alitalia brand with its own distinctive ‘ITA Airways’ logo, reinforcing its values of excellence in air transport that are universally recognized worldwide”, says the press release.

Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Vanni Gibertini

Vanni fell in love with commercial aviation during his undergraduate studies in Statistics at the University of Bologna, when he prepared his thesis on the effects of deregulation on the U.S. and European aviation markets. Then he pursued his passion further by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Air Transport Management at Cranfield University in the U.K. followed by holding several management positions at various start-up carriers in Europe (Jet2, SkyEurope, Silverjet). After moving to Canada, he was Business Development Manager for IATA for nine years before turning to his other passion: sports writing.

Latest posts by Vanni Gibertini (see all)

• ‘Alitalia’ Brand Returns to the Skies - February 14, 2025
• LAX Airport at Work To Host the 2028 Olympics - December 16, 2024
• 80 Years of Commercial Aviation - December 14, 2024