Valentino Rossi has landed at Rome Fiumicino, ITA Airways' new flagship is ready. Here's the interior

ITA Airways' first Airbus A350/900 landed at Fiumicino last night.. By far, this is the first aircraft in the new fleet, which will involve the almost complete renewal of the vehicles in service.

The plane was named after Valentino Rossi, one of many Blue sports champions to whom the new Italian flag carrier has decided to dedicate its fleet. It was delivered by Alafco, a Kuwait-based company and a leader in aircraft leasing. This is one of four Airbus A350s that ITA will receive in the coming weeks and will enter service starting in June.

"The delivery of the first A350 to ITA Airways," commented Adel A. Albanwan, CEO of ALAFCO - marks another milestone for ALAFCO and represents the beginning of a new partnership, which we look forward to developing in the coming years. The Airbus A350 continues to be considered one of the most fuel efficient aircraft and will add value to ITA Airways' fleet. I would like to express my thanks for the continued efforts of the team and everyone involved in the successful delivery of this aircraft." 

Want to be informed about the Volare program and discuss with other members? Join our dedicated FB group.

"Today we are adding the Airbus A350 to our fleet, an aircraft that will enable the company to further develop its intercontinental network. - explains Francesco Presicce, Chief Technology Officer of ITA Airways - The arrival of the Airbus A350 is another step in our strategy to develop a new environment-friendly fleet with cutting-edge technologies that will optimize efficiency, service quality and significantly reduce environmental impact. The collaboration with ALAFCO also allows us to optimize cost efficiency in terms of the fleet. I would like to thank the entire team involved for their hard work in achieving the prestigious, coveted and challenging goal of Entry Into Service (EIS) in just 6 months."

Obviously, the curiosity of industry enthusiasts, the frequent flyers enrolled in Volare and future passengers of ITA Airways is very high. If we exclude the Quick appearance of the 777/300 (used) with Alitalia, this is in fact the first new aircraft in over 10 years. After admiring the exterior, attentions shifted to the interior layout of the cabins.

As known the A350s that will enter the fleet are not new planes, but KM0s: were produced by Airbus between 2017 and 2019 for the Chinese carrier Hainan and for Hong Kong Air, but never picked up. During these years they have been parked waiting to find a new buyer. Bargain made by ITA Airways which was able to take them for sure at a lower price than the market price, but more importantly to have them in a very short time without having to queue and wait for space in the assembly line.

The new cabin

All the rumors suggested that the interiors would not be touched and that the layout of the cabins would be as the previous owner wanted, something similar to what was done by Lufthansa taking the A350s sold out by Philippine Airlines and which just put them into service without changing their configuration. And so it did: the interior fittings are still the same, colors aside, as Hong Kong Air's fleet of A350s. Here are some photos published by the group FB ITAFleet.

The business class cabin is configured with Collins Aerospace Super Diamond. All passengers will have direct aisle access. These chairs are among the best on the market. They are adopted by British Airways for the brand new Club World Suite, Qatar uses them for his QSuite, but they are also found in the fleets of many other airlines including American Airlines, Air Canada and Saudia.

The only difference is that these seats will not have doors, as is the case on British and Qatar. Above for example BA's business class cabin on an A350/1000.

Unlike Magnifica class, which is Alitalia's former business class, there will be no the honeymoon chairs, that is, the two seats close together in the middle row.

On the contrary this configuration is the one that gives the most leg comfort of the passenger when the seat becomes a bed. It pays for itself in privacy, however, as all passengers are with their heads always close to the aisle, which is why the door makes this seat one of the best in the world.

There is currently no premium economy cabin, while the tourist class is outfitted with the classic 3-3-3 configuration. All seats are equipped with personal screens and power outlets. A slim seat, but very comfortable and adopted, again, by many airlines.

In conclusion

It might happen that For the first period there will be 3 different configurations of the long-range cabin In the new ITA fleet. The former Alitalia, and the two configurations on the A350s taken at KM0. The final one will only be understood When the first A330/900neo ordered new and arriving in 2023 will enter the fleet. Just yesterday we saw Air France's new business class who chose a different product, but with the door to give the passenger more privacy.