Ita Airways, the first 100 days of the new life with Lufthansa and the race (obstacle) of the relaunch

The Airbus A330neo E-Tya of Ita Airways takes off from Rome Fiumicino airport with its blue livery and just over a year of age. Directed to the New York JFK airport between Easter and the Liberation Festival, on board has only one empty seat, the 7E. The summer season began, despite the geopolitical tensions, flows with the United States stands, South America gives satisfaction and the Argentine-Italia-Israel director is proving to be the most profitable. The carrier-who took over from Alitalia in October 2021-in this period it carries out about 370 flights per day and transports on average 48-50 thousand passengers. And it almost no longer makes news (often in negative) unlike the previous months. « You can breathe the air of normality, which had been missing for some time, » say two leaders of the Tricolor Aviolinea.

From 17 January 2025

THE First hundred days of the new ITA, in Traction Lufthansahave passed like this. At forced rhythms, but without tears. Full of things to fix, but without great tensions. « For the first time it seems to be in a company with a plan on the head that is not to ensure the permanence of the top to their armchairs, » confirms a trade unionist. And this « harmony » between management and workers’ representatives is also a small turning point, pending the table on the contract renewal expected after the summer and that some fibrillation will inevitably bring it. January 17, 2025, At the end of a bureaucratic and political process to say the least tormentedthe Lufthansa group officially entered Italy Transport Air Transport Spa, the company that controls ITA, paying 325 million euros.

The MEF-luffthansa understanding

At the moment the Germans hold 41% (the other 59% are in the hands of the Ministry of Economy), but Carsten Spohr, CEO of the German giant, aims to climb as soon as possible to 90 and 100%, as indeed provides for the agreement signed with a total investment of 729 million euros, plus another 100 of « bonuses » for the ministry. « In previous experiences we waited too much, with Ita I would like to do more quickly, » he revealed to those who have had the opportunity to meet him recently. The Courier He spoke with eight people aware of the internal dynamics of the Italian company for this article. All asked for anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss them publicly. While Ita, Lufthansa and MEF preferred not to comment.

The complexities

A start – that of the new ITA – who must deal with different complexities and that the CEO and general manager, Joerg Eberhart, was called to manage immediately. There are modern planes stopped almost a year for problems for Pratt & Whitney engines who are complicating life to the aviolinee. Other Ita aircraft has lent them to Easyjet to allow the British low cost to bring competitiveness on some intraeuropean routes after the Italian-German wedding. Not to mention the Slot package (precious) That the Italian Aviolinea was forced to give in to Easyjet to Milan Linate airport to have the EU go -ahead at the entrance of Lufthansa. There are clouds on the horizon of the transatlantic marketthe most profitable for European carriers. The absence (which will go on for other months) of commercial alliances on intercontinental flights weighs. There are limited codehare. Just as there is a need to put your hand to a series of contracts entered into in the past.

The stages of integration

In the background there is all the time schedule to be respected that will gradually bring the Italian company to the perimeter of Lufthansa. Pending the official data of the 2024 budget – the last to manage completely Italian, but which will also have to be approved by the Germans – you can try to make an estimate on the first quarter of this year, which is usually the worst for the sector because the carriers lose money. In the first three months, according to the data collected by Courier From airport sources, Ita transported about 3.8 million passengers, with a filling rate of 75% (calculated on the seats for sale) and with total revenues estimated at around 750-780 million euros.

The fleet

But the complexities are also different. The fleet, currently consisting of 99 planes, sees 12 parked, according to the data provided by the CH-ABBITION Specialized platform. 3 other were lent – provisionally – to Easyjet in the context of the competition restoration operations along the routes where Ita and Lufthansa would have been monopolist or almost. This means that a seventh of the aircraft of the tricolor company cannot be used by CEO Eberhart (net of jets who, for one reason or another, break). Among these are also five Airbus A220, single corridor jet used for national and intra-European connections.

Inspections to the engines

In September 2024, in the missives exchanged between ITA, the National Authority for Civil Aviation, Assoclearance (which assigns the slots in Italian airports) – and that the Courier He was able to view – he is asked to « keep the slots », without losing some for non -use, given the need to inspect GTF engines of Pratt & Whitney on some of the newest aircraft. « It is necessary to start a plan of extraordinary interventions on the Airbus A220 and A320neo fleet – reads in some documents – which will involve an average of 5 aircraft per month until the first quarter of 2025, to grow, from the summer season, to 7 aircraft per month, for a total of 20 planes ». Long inspections, with « Fermi machine not less than 250-300 motor days ».

« Limited planning »

« We have an average of eight planes that will not fly until 2030 and this certainly limits us in planning, » CEO Eberhart said in his last release on April 16 at an event in Uiltrasporti. Adding that « what we see in the industrial plan for the next few years is a growth especially in the long range. Our share of the market in Fiumicino is too low, below 15%, Compared to other carriers. We have to increase it ». But to do this, in addition to the planes (the calendar sees 26 jets still to be delivered, including 5 with double corridor), the network of alliances would be needed which at the moment it does not have on intercontinental flights.

Strategic alliances

On April 30 ita will officially leave Skyteam (where Air France-Klm and Delta Air Lines are located, his historic allies). The entry into Star Alliance (where there is Lufthansa) It will not happen before the beginning of 2026. And then because 18 months are needed for the green light of the local regulatory authorities before entering A ++, the Joint Venture Transatlantic where Lufthansa program and shares flights, times, frequencies, destinations, revenues and continuations in North America together with United Airlines and Air Canada. Having allies overseas helps in prosecutors, experts explain. If ita and Lufthansa can bring passengers to large US cities, United can take those same travelers and bring them to hundreds of small locations, sharing the turnover with the European allies.

« A year of consolidation »

« At this moment it is in a sort of limbo, quite inevitable having to move from one alliance to another and having to enter the Joint Venture transatlantic », explain two insiders. « This limits the options for CEO Eberhart who will have to manage the company without really enjoying all the benefits of the Lufthansa machine, if not those on short and medium flights ». In his first public jokes, the Italian-German manager said that « 2025 is a year of consolidation ». « 2026, net of further geopolitical tensions and further commercial wars, will be the first real year in which Ita will be able to really express themselves at best, being able to exploit almost all the synergies with Lufthansa », underline the experts.

Geopolitical knots

« The first months of the year are going well, » Eberhart said at the Uiltrasporti event. « The question is there. For the second part of the year we still don’t know. Now there are the first signs in industry, especially in the North America market it could be weaker. We have no clear indicators on this, until the end of June what we see is positive ». North America represents about a third of revenues for ITA. And several airlines – European and US – have reported a slowdown or a drop in reservations in particular from Europe to the USA a little for commercial tensions, a little for the news of European tourists blocked and arrested in customs.

The technical knots

« Eberhart has the difficult task of aligning the business management of Ita to the consolidated parameters of the Lufthansa group, » explains one of the sources. « Which means putting the pieces back in place, but also reviewing several contracts signed by previous management ». One of the knots, as far as we learn, lies in maintenance. The agreement with Aitech would be creating more than some dissatisfaction. The planes, by law, must be subjected to more or less in -depth checks. They range from those every 1-2 months of service (which require a stop of the plane up to a day) to those every 6-8 months that can block the jet up to three days up to the most « invasive » (even 6 weeks of stop) and net of technical problems that can always appear at all times. « If the return to service takes place late or does not happen because the spare parts are missing, this leads to losses of tens of thousands of euros per day for the aviolinea which in the meantime has sold the seats on flights that that jet should have operated, » two sources think.

The relationship with the unions

All turbulence that Eberhart, flanked by President Sandro Pappalardo, will have to face or get around. And here he will have to resort to his previous experiences, both as a pilot and as a CEO of Air Dolomiti (the Italian aviolinea of ​​the Lufthansa group), and as head of the strategies of the German giant. « We know that there will be from arguing in the coming months with the CEO on the renewal of the contract because we will ask for 100 and he will offer 5 – they say, in tune, three Italian unionists of as many themes -, but we also know that this is the last opportunity for us to really relaunch the reference company of this country ».

The words of the head of Lufthansa

« Every week I do an hour of Italian lesson, but it is not yet enough, » revealed the CEO Spohr during an event with the main customers that took place at Villa Miani in Rome on 31 March. Who has not hidden his enthusiasm for the green light to integration. « I have never heard of such a strong support as what we have had on both sides in this merger, » he said. « From the Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, who supported this project from the first day, to the Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti who played a very special role ». Including that – together with Marcello Sala, general manager of the economy (at the MEF) – to do it with the antitrust EU to obtain the green light of the operation.

« It’s not a simple operation »

« Ita is the best ambassador of Italy in the world – Spohr commented -, just as Lufthansa is for Germany ». The head of the European giant of heaven then underlined the « 300 flights per day of average between the two countries: we serve more airports in Italy than we serve in Germany. This is why it is not just a simple merger or acquisition operation. It is something much bigger and will be successful ».