ITA Airways, put the order for 28 Airbuses in black and white. A350s will be KM0s
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) had been signed in September, and today the final seal was put on the first [...]
ITA Airways
SkyTeam
In September, the Memorandum of Understanding had been signed. (MOU) and today the final seal was put on the first order of 28 Airbus aircraft that will be part of the fleet of the new Italian flag carrier.
In this article:
Also confirmed is the composition of the order: seven A220s, 11 A320neo and 10 A330neo. In addition, ITA Airways will continue its plans by signing leasing agreements for A350 aircraft so as to complete the modernization of its fleet.
The factory-new models
Here at TFC, we have never hidden our love for two types of aircraft: the A380 and the A220. Seeing the latter enter the fleet can only make us happy.
Today, so many companies are betting on A220s, and some of them, such as AirBaltic, they only have this model of aircraft in their fleet., the only one built specifically for the 100-150-seat market that brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and the latest Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines.
With a range of up to 3,450 nm (6,390 km), the A220 offers carriers greater operational flexibility. It was not specified in the release whether it will be the 100 variant, the smaller one, or the more popular 300, the larger one.
The hope is that ITA Airways will try to distinguish itself in its fleet by offering a similar set-up to that offered by JetBlue in America on this aircraft and on the rest of the new means, rather than copying thehe basic configuration chosen by Air France.
In a 100% Airbus fleet there could be no shortage of A320 family aircraft. Again, it is not clear which models these are; they will probably be divided between A320s and A321s, as was the case in Alitalia's old fleet.
Finally, confirmation of the choice of the A330neo in the 900 variant as the long-haul backbone.
This model, of which TAP Portugal was the first customer, offers a unique passenger experience with state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment systems and connectivity. Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines and equipped with a new wing with a larger aperture and A350-inspired winglets, the A330neo also offers an unprecedented level of efficiency: fuel consumption per seat is 25% lower than previous generation competitors. With its midsize capacity and excellent range versatility, the A330neo is considered the ideal aircraft to support operators in their post-Covid-19 recovery.
The A350 km0s
In addition to the new aircraft, which will be produced specifically for ITA Airways, the leasing of the first A350/900s was also finalized: the future flagship of ITA's fleet and the most modern model in the European manufacturer's production.
According to rumors, the first 4 A350s to fly in ITA's blue livery will not be brand new, but km0s. It is nothing new in aviation for planes to change their tunic, in this case the 4 craft were built (and never delivered) between 2019 and early 2020 for the Chinese airline Haian.
To date they have flown less than 100 hours and are parked at the Spanish desert airport of Teruel. The decision should come as no surprise; recently the same thing was done by Lufthansa, which took possession of some A350s Ordered by Philippine Airlines and never picked up because of the financial crisis affecting the South American carrier.
Currently, these planes are expected to be configured with 334 seats, including 33 business class seats with a 1-2-1 configuration. Economy class adopts a 3-3-3 configuration, with 193 seats spaced nearly 80 cm apart, in addition 108 seats with additional legroom positioned 86 cm apart.
The interior
Now that the plans have been certified, we will have to wait to know how ITA plans to set up the cabins of the various aircraft. On short/medium haul, will the policy be one cabin as is the case with all European airlines? Or will Altavilla and co. try to distinguish themselves by trying to offer a different product that can compete with low-cost airlines and intercept a more demanding clientele at the same time?
At the time of the launch, ITA had talked about 4 classes on long-haul: business, premium economy, and two economy. Thus, it is thought that the layout will be upgraded, as the current A350s were configured without premium economy.
But leaning toward a redesign of the interior would be the timing. In fact, the A350s will not enter service until June, so there would be plenty of time to renovate the cabins while respecting the look and feel of the rest of the fleet.
This solution obviously has a higher cost, but by taking km0s, ITA will save compared to the list price.
The business cabin of TAP's A330
And if not, what fittings will we see on the A330neo? It is hard to imagine an uneven configuration of the fleet, both for image issues and especially for interchangeability of the various models as needed.
Alfredo Altavilla, executive chairman of ITA Airways, said, "Today the strategic partnership with Airbus takes an important step, and we are pleased to have sanctioned the pact we made last September. In addition to this agreement, additional and new possibilities for collaboration have emerged, particularly in the area of technological developments in the airline industry and digitalization, where Airbus is a market leader. This is all part of the actions aimed at achieving our environmental sustainability goals."
