ITA Airways Cancels New York Route

ITA Airways is changing its transatlantic route network with the upcoming cancellation of Milan Malpensa to New York JFK, per local media Corriere.

Additional reporting was further back by reputable Aeroroutes that noted ITA Airways had filed for service adjustments.

Milan To New York JFK Removed

ITA Airways expects to run its final Milan Malpensa to New York JFK flight on the 7th of January, 2024.

As a result, following this day, the airline will no longer operate the route from Milan that offered transatlantic connections to many.

Sources of Corriere state that a heightened degree of competition substantially impacts the airline and poor network strategy decisions surrounding flights to and from Milan Malpensa.

Due to other restrictions in and around Milan airports, ITA serves Rome Fiumicino, which acts as the central hub for intercontinental flights.

Heavy Amount Of Competition ITA Airways Faces

Per Cirium data, for December 2023, five airlines were serving the Milan Malpensa Airport and New York JFK routing.

This included the Italian airline, Emirates, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Neos.

Emirates offers 62 scheduled flights between the locations, and this number is the same for all remaining carriers aside from Neos, with 24 total flights.

Interestingly, Emirates offers close to 23,000 seats across the month, with ITA Airways offering one of the fewest at 16,306. Delta Air Lines offers 17,461, while American Airlines just shy of 17,000. Neos’ total seat count is much reduced to 8,568.

However, a quick analysis indicates just the pressures felt on this service for ITA AIrways with a heightened amount of competition.

The ITA Airways Current U.S. Network

Per Cirium data, ITA Airways’ leading service to North America is its Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport to New York JFK service.

Data indicates in October, between the pairing, a total of 176 flights were offered, representing a rise from 124 for the same period one year prior.

Additionally, service between Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport and Miami International Airport is present. This, paired with the now-axed Milan and New York JFK flight, saw roughly 62 flights for October 2023.

Additional Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport operations can be visible through Boston Logan International, Washington Dulles, San Francisco and Los Angeles International.

ITA Airways’ Fleet Of Aircraft

ITA Airways has a fleet comprising 85 in-service aircraft with two units marked as in storage.

When measured by active units, the most significant fleet type is the A320-200, working alongside the A319-100.

As part of a commitment to the next generation of flying, the airline relies heavily on Airbus aircraft to power this.

The addition of the Airbus A220, mostly recently, and the A320neo are popular solutions to single-aisle short-haul operations. Meanwhile, the recent delivery of the A321neo also allows for enhanced reach and capacity.

ITA flies several other valuable types, such as the A350-900, with six units in service. This is also aided by five in-service A330-900s from the A330neo family.