ITA Airways Needs More Airbus A350s

ITA Airways is plotting its next phase of growth, and with a strong focus on fleet planning, the need for more Airbus A350 jets is becoming apparent.

As the Italian carrier looks directly towards growth across long-haul markets and, more importantly, has the backing to make these possible, it now needs more than ever before widebody jets to make this possible.

Working in tandem with Lufthansa Group, now with a strong say in the direction this carrier heads, talks are underway to source jets to give the business the strategic advantage it so desperately wants.

ITA Airways’ Push For More A350s

ITA Airways’ current widebody mix is useful, but, as the airline would argue, it isn’t ideally positioned to achieve long-term ambitions across the long-haul network and, as a result, needs to be adapted.

The airline, which already has a presence of A350 aircraft, still relies heavily on the A330neo. This mid-sized next-generation widebody is important to the network and can help support growth, but it isn’t considered fully optimal for the target areas the business wants to grow in.

Speaking exclusively with Corriere della Sera, the airline’s CEO and Managing Director, Joerg Eberhart, said that when targeting markets such as Lima or Santiago, where demand could be activated, more Airbus A350 jets are needed.

These sectors are seen as more demanding, where not just the range capabilities of the chosen aircraft but also efficiency and payload capabilities matter more than on other long-haul routes served across the network.

With that in mind, and following internal reviews by the airline, as it calculates the next phase of its growth, it realises that an aircraft like the A350 would be the best possible acquisition moving forward, building upon its existing reliance.

How The Fleet Has Evolved

As touched on, the Airbus A350 is already part of the ITA Airways operation, its importance substantial and a key part of a revolution in the way the Italian carrier flies.

The Italian carrier has veered away from the old structure established by Alitalia, which was partly responsible for its complete undoing and led to the birth of ITA, and instead has shifted towards more efficient aircraft types to build its model.

With another A330neo being added this year, and the A330ceo having been retired to make way for the more efficient model, the airline would feel quietly confident that it’s building a balanced fleet mix reliant on Airbus aircraft, whether from the A220, to the A321neo and up to the larger widebodies.

The business is still, however, in transition; one of the biggest challenges will be not just controlling its costs and maintaining flexibility, but also ensuring that these remain stable as it scales operations to meet demand and increase its role within the industry under Lufthansa.

Lufthansa Plays A Role

With ITA Airways having opened discussions with Lufthansa over the addition of the Airbus A350s in the 2028-2030 window, this positive signal shows not just the confidence that the German group has in the airline itself, but more so what the Group can allow, given its stake in the business.

Lufthansa Group had long felt it was falling behind in the Italian market, and despite its best efforts, was failing to maintain the market share it believed it deserved. The acquisition of ITA Airways, which is expected to reach a majority stake in the near future, is part of those efforts.

What this means is that bringing ITA in-house, there’s greater control over the use of aircraft, the removal and thus addition of them where required to use the orderbook and available assets to best grow and ensure that operations remain efficient.

Lufthansa’s scale also gives ITA Airways the framework for a stronger future that’s more stable and prosperous, rather than being a standalone airline, and because of this, it faces fewer risks without the support of a major player, not just on a global scale but across Europe, especially.