Aeroitalia, Interview with CEO Gaetano Intrieri: "New livery coming soon"

A truce with Ita Airways, the name that will remain (for now, then we'll see) the same, while the new livery will arrive as early as a couple of months from now as another Boeing 737-800 enters the fleet.

This was revealed by Aeroitalia CEO Gaetano Intrieri on the sidelines of the press conference to The start of flights between Genoa and Rome Fiumicino.

We at TFC have already reported on the debut of the new flight, and at the press conference were also announced the next two routes: Alghero and Olbia for the summer season.

We had left off last fall when you revealed the company's new name, which would become Air Italy, and the imminent unveiling of the new livery. How far along are you?

"In recent months we have been in dialogue with ITA regarding the lawsuit over the name and the Alitalia brand that they accuse us of copying. And we came to a truce, which will allow us, at least for the time being, to keep the name Aeroitalia. As for the livery, however, we will adopt a new one, which we will present very soon and which will debut as early as March on the first of the two new Boeing 737-800s that are scheduled to arrive in the fleet this year."

When is the first 737 MAX scheduled to arrive?

"The first will arrive by the end of 2026, with the other Four to follow between February and May 2027. Instead, two, maybe three Boeing 737NGs will arrive before the summer and will wear the new livery. let's say that all the planes that will enter the fleet, from next on, will have the new colors."

How do you see this flourishing of Italian companies, Etna Sky, Puglia Sky...?

"I say that I've been working in this business for 30 years, and I've seen more than one company that has gone bust in our country. This is a complex business that you never stop learning, and often it is not enough to be a very good entrepreneur to be successful in this field as well. You need a great and specific knowledge of its dynamics. That said, welcome initiatives that can energize the sector, since to my knowledge there are very few operators in the sector in Italy. However, announcements like the ones we heard a few days ago and a few weeks ago leave time for them."

Back to you, is the future in Skyteam yes or no?

"We will see ... now there is a situation where we cannot pretend that we are not Italian. ITA has realized that making war is not convenient for anyone and maybe the time has come when we can do something useful for the country together."

But so you are thinking about collaboration?

"This is premature to say. Certainly, though, since the advent of Jeorg Eberhart (ITA's CEO, ed.) things have changed and there is a constant dialogue with them."

What summer do you foresee in Aeroitalia?

"We expect to grow further. In Europe, in terms of passengers, we are the one that has grown the most, percentage-wise. We have reached three million passengers starting from scratch, and in the last year alone we have grown from 2.4 to 3 million travelers, becoming the fifth airline in the Italian market and the third in the domestic market. The goal for this year is to grow by another 10-15%, also supported by the three to four new machines that will arrive between now and the end of 2026″. Consider that in Sardinia we have added Alghero and in Sicily, on Catania and Palermo, we fly for most of the year with load factors above 90 percent".

And now you are pointing to Genoa...

"Yes, I am very much counting on it. I think this is the most suitable airport for our regional fleet of ATR-72s, an aircraft that I like very much. We will base both of the aircraft we have here, and if things go as I hope, we thanks to Genoa will also be able to increase our ATR fleet, which will all be based here anyway, even if we have to increase it."

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