Not only Alitalia, which Italian airlines are.
There are seven airlines on the register of the National Civil Aviation Authority, however, one of them is technically nonexistent, namely [...]
Neos Air
Air Dolomiti
There are seven airlines on the register of the National Civil Aviation Authority, however, one of them is technically nonexistent, namely Air Italy.
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Air Italy was Qatar Airways' desired experiment to revive the glorious Meridiana and compete with Alitalia, unfortunately the ending was no different than the attempt made by the other Middle Eastern airline Etihad.
Italian companies in operation
Excluding the two licenses of Alitalia and Alitalia Cityliner, this leaves four companies:
- Air Dolomiti
- Ego Airways
- Neos
- Blue Panorama
Neos and Blue Panorama focus mainly on charter flights and wet leasing of aircraft, while Air Dolomiti operates scheduled flights mainly to Germany.
Air Dolomiti
It was founded in 1991 and the first connection was the Trieste/Genoa, but right from the start it focused on routes to Germany. This choice prompted the company to create a strong partnership with Lufthansa, and in the early 2000s it was bought by the German carrier itself.
Today it has a fleet of 15 Embraer 195s with which it connects the Italian market with Germany and, thanks to its code share with the German group, allows it to take advantage of connections from the entire Lufthansa and One World network.
Ego Airways
The first Italian airline born after the pandemic Has Emilian roots and is called Ego Airways.
Neos
Founded in 2001, Neos is a carrier that operates charter flights to destinations in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, China, the Far East and the Mediterranean. Neos is part of Alpitour World and is a fully Boeing carrier using the 737 Next-Generation and the 767. It was the first Italian carrier to have in its fleet the Dreamliner, or 787, the most modern and efficient aircraft among those produced by Boeing.
With its 4 Dreamliners and 737NGs, it boasts the most modern and sustainable fleet of any Italian carrier.
Blue Panorama
It shares with Neos the DNA of a "leisure" carrier, and the ownership is again a company related to the world of travel and tourism. It also has a second banner, namely Blue Express, which operates as a low-cost carrier.
The future, however, seems sealed; it appears it will no longer be called Blu Panorama. In fact, the new (used) Airbus 330s carry the multicolor livery of Luke Air and this is the brand under which the airline plans to grow in the Italian market.
On August 18, ITA was added., the newco set to take Alitalia's place as the national airline.
