ITA Airways is hard at work on hot topics for the future as it closes its first year in the Lufthansa Group.
The road ahead of ITA is a long one, but it can be travelled one step at a time, and Emiliana Limosani, CCO of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, comments on some of the hot topics on which the carrier is working.
Long-haul investments are among the cornerstones of the industrial plan...
"Yes, the strengthening of the long-haul sector aims at intercepting markets with high spending power, and is the core of our business. The 2026-30 plan envisages the introduction of an additional wide body each year, starting next year. The big news for winter 25-26 is the launch of Rome Fiumicino-Mauritius, which will expand the range of our leisure destinations. The winter will feature 54 destinations, of which 16 domestic, 22 international and 16 intercontinental".
Are the new additions to the fleet in line with your plans?
"The new arrivals are flanked by the replacement of older generation aircraft, a choice not only of numbers but of vision, which aims to make ITA the carrier with the youngest and most sustainable fleet in Europe. There are some problems, such as the difficulties linked to the reduced availability of aircraft, due both to the scheduled repairs of the Pratt & Whitney engines on our new generation short and medium haul fleet (a problem afflicting many companies worldwide), and also to the maintenance activities that have not allowed an optimal use of the fleet.”
How are you dealing with these issues and which elements can play in favour of ITA's growth?
"We are constantly observing the evolution of geopolitical scenarios, and are ready to reshape the network if necessary, as we did for example for Tel Aviv. Despite the instability of global events, we have positive feelings, for several reasons. The first is the gradual expansion of our fleet which, starting with 52 aircraft on 15 October 2021, has doubled to 100 aircraft, 69% of which are new generation, with an average age of 6.4 years. Our optimism in this unstable historical moment also stems from commercial innovations thanks to synergies with the Lufthansa Group. These range from the possibility of access to more than 130 lounges worldwide, to codeshare agreements for medium and long haul (the latest in order of time with United Airlines) that allow passengers to enjoy an expanded network. I would also like to mention the optimization of flights between the hubs of the Lufthansa Group, with harmonized schedules and frequencies.”
Speaking of synergies: what will ITA's entry into Star Alliance bring?
"The entry into the world's largest airline network is planned for early 2026, once all the requirements of the Alliance have been met. We look forward to bringing Italian excellence into the Alliance, thus expanding its global reach. Joining Star Alliance is a significant step in our growth.2
How has the “ITA Airways product” now available to travel agents changed, compared to pre-Lufthansa?
"The integration of ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group is proceeding apace with a progressive alignment of processes and best practices. Through AZ/LH codeshare agreements we are able to offer , a significantly expanded network of international and intercontinental destinations, with optimized and more frequent connections. To date ITA has its own marketing codes on more than 128 routes operated by Lufthansa Group carriers, and the Group carriers have their own codes on more than 75 routes operated by ITA. Among the most recent innovations, passengers flying on mixed routes operated by ITA and the Lufthansa Group can purchase the Advanced Seat Reservation (ASR) service when booking on direct and indirect sales channels, in addition to checking in (as was previously possible). Additional ancillary services such as the purchase of extra luggage will follow in the future. Then from this year, in the Miles & More programme, customers can also accumulate and redeem points when flying ITA Airways.”
What were the results for this last summer?
"We are satisfied, the results have been in line with expectations. From April to August almost 7.5 million passengers were carried, numbers substantially in line with last year, with an average load factor of 84% (up 2.4 percentage points) with peaks of 87% in July. Passenger revenues almost reached €1.4 billion, an increase of 1.6% over 2024.”
Which areas gave the greatest satisfaction?
"South America and the Far East, with load factors of 89% and 86% respectively. The routes to and from the United States also produced good results with a load factor of 84%, confirming the satisfaction of the market.”
Premium traffic is strategic for achieving ITA objectives: is it also growing on the leisure front?
"The leisure-premium segment has become increasingly important. More customers are also choosing to travel on ITA Airways Business and Premium Economy services for their leisure trips, for the comfort and travel experience offered. This is why, in addition to the full-flat seats in Business, ITA has equipped all long-haul aircraft (A350s and A330s), as well as the new A321s, with Premium Economy, intercepting the demand for comfort at lower prices than business. The network choices are oriented in the same direction. The new Rome-Mauritius and the expansion of the Malè route, aim at develop premium leisure traffic. In 2021 on the domestic network we also launched a class for business travellers and also for leisure travellers who pay more attention to comfort. In recent years the superior class has grown by double digits, contributing 10 % of passenger revenue on the domestic network.”
