It came as a surprise in Italian business circles, particularly in Lombardy. Alitalia, which has been present at Milan-Malpensa since 1948, has announced that it will be leaving the airport from October with the suspension of its services to Rome-Fiumicino. A route that was already a shadow of its former self. Alitalia has been offering only two daily flights since its return to Malpensa at the beginning of the summer.
The airline will retain just one flight to New York JFK from the northern metropolis. And even then, it will only be a codeshare flight, the route being operated by Delta Air Lines with three weekly frequencies.
The regional government was quick to react. " I regret that Alitalia is cancelling flights between Malpensa and Rome-Fiumicino from October onwards [...] This is a poor choice that cannot be reconciled with the enormous amount of state aid, which is also financed by the taxes of the Lombard people. This withdrawal is symbolic and unacceptable." he told the daily La Stampa Claudia Terzi, Regional Secretary for Infrastructure, Transport and Sustainable Mobility for Lombardy.
Linate completely replaces Malpensa in Milan
This marks a turning point in the history of the Italian company. For years, Malpensa has been the second intercontinental hub.. The airline operated flights to several US cities, to South America (Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo) and to Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and Tokyo. It also offered connections to around twenty European cities.
And yet.., Alitalia is not leaving Lombardy. Instead, she prefers to focus on theairport LinateThis hub, which is very close to Milan city centre, was the Italian metropolis' main international hub until the 1990s.
Since September, for example, Alitalia has been linking Fiumicino with Linate with 11 daily flights instead of 5 during the summer. At the end of the summer, the carrier is operating 23 routes from Linate, including eight destinations in Europe. This programme includes a daily flight to Paris CDG and Brussels. In September, the airline switched to two daily frequencies to the two cities and re-launched two daily flights to Frankfurt.
Alitalia is even planning to ramp up services to Linate in October. The carrier is also planning to launch routes to Düsseldorf and Paris-Orly while additional frequencies will be offered to Amsterdam and Frankfurt. Milan-Linate should therefore be linked to Paris by three daily flights in October, two flights/day from CDG and one flight/day from Orly..
In addition to Rome-Fiumicino, the French-speaking Europe programme in September includes routes to Brussels, Geneva, Marseille, Nice and Paris-CDG. In particular, the airline has just increased the number of weekly flights to Brussels, Geneva and Nice to 10. It should be offering two daily flights to Geneva from 1 October.
The new Alitalia takes shape
These adjustments come at a time when the carrier must present its restructuring programme by mid-October.
Speaking to the Transport Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Alitalia Chairman Francesco Caio said that the company would be turning its back completely on its past development model.
" We are aiming for sustainability by investing in quality, fleet and digital. Our alliances will focus on partner flights and services" wrote La Stampa on the chairman's comments.
"A carrier like Alitalia is a totally different structure from a low-cost carrier. Costs will be the obsession of our management, efficiency being fundamental".
Fabio Lazzerini, CEO designate of Alitalia
The CEO designate, Fabio Lazzerini, also outlined the profile of the future company. " Our positioning is aimed at the top end of the market. If you are not a low-cost company, aiming for low-cost is suicidal. A carrier like Alitalia is a totally different structure from a low-cost carrier. Costs will be the obsession of our management, efficiency being fundamental." .
According to the Managing Director, long-haul will be Alitalia's lifeline. " In this segment, in the absence of low-cost competition, the prospects are enormous. Fiumicino will also have to consolidate short and medium-haul flights, otherwise long-haul flights will not be economically viable." says Fabio Lazzerini.
" We need to think about a five-year plan, continues Mr Lazzerini. The alliance with an airline partner will be a key strategic point in this plan.The airline world is made up of alliances. By definition, it is difficult to be alone in a globalised world." he added to the daily La Stampa.
