New Alitalia, clues point to a 100% Airbus fleet
Things in the aviation world change abruptly. The 737max in 2019 was set to become the plane of record, with Boeing [...]
Alitalia
SkyTeam
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Things in the aviation world change abruptly. The 737max in 2019 was set to become the plane of record, with Boeing having put more than 1,000 orders on the books for its workhorse.
Then the two fatal accidents, the grounding of the entire fleet for almost 2 years, and the rain of cancellations, last in chronological order the 60 planes that FlyDubai no longer intends to receive. Then the pandemic came and almost all carriers canceled orders, sent to the Demolition of old aircraft such as B747s and A380s And postponed hundreds of deliveries.
In these difficult times there are those who, like Ryanair, was able to take advantage of this ordering planes when no one else did and getting discounts unthinkable just a few months earlier. And those who simply canceled all orders and put the fleet up for sale, like Norwegian.
In this scenario ITA has been pursuing discussions with Boeing and Airbus for the new fleet, a fleet to be built from scratch and in the shortest possible time. Because as of October 25, the company will take off with Alitalia's old iron, but the intention is to abandon it as soon as possible for 3 reasons:
- High consumption
- High maintenance costs
- Not developmentally appropriate
Right now, all Alitalia frequent flyers know that the short-haul fleet is based practically only on Airbuses in the various A319, A320, and a few A321 declinations. Long-haul sees the flagship of the 777/300 and then the smaller version of the 777 and the A330s. Many of these planes are already being scraped, or scrapped, some are parked at Linate others around Italian airports.
The news announced by the statement that sanctioned the departure of ITA was that, however, unlike previous rumors, the new Italian carrier will aim for a "single-brand" fleet, and all indications are that Airbus will eventually win the bid.
In any case, it is clear that AZ will still have to go through intermediaries because manufacturers right now, cancellations aside, have waiting lists of years to deliver their aircraft. At example for the bestselling Airbus A220, ideal for short to medium-range routes, but which could also be used to fly to Israel and Dubai in North Africa, one has to wait until 2024. In contrast, turning to specialized companies can take advantage of deliveries and aircraft already available or imminent delivery.
Why Alitalia is likely to target the European manufacturer
The choice is quite logical. The vast majority of the pilots currently working for Alitalia and who will be absorbed by ITA already have certifications to fly Airbus aircraft; switching to Boeing would mean having to invest a lot of money and time to get all crews certified with the new models.
Similarly, maintenance will cost less by having a single manufacturer in the fleet; Ryanair and Southwest are queens of this strategy since they not only fly only Boeing aircraft, but also exclusively 737s. So skilled technicians and a warehouse with fewer spare parts, meaning faster repairs and reduced costs.
Last but not least because today the combination of A220/A321 and A350/900 is the right mix for the operator that will be born from the ashes of AZ, In the hope, as we have written several times before, that we take JetBlue as an example and not Ryanair. In recent months there had been talk of possible interest in the long-haul Boeing 787, as done, for example, by Neos. But in addition to the certification issue, the Dreamliner is significantly smaller than the Airbus flagship, has a shorter range and much reduced hold capacity. All these considerations explain why, on balance, A350 is expected to be the aircraft of choice for the long haul From the new ITA.
The choice of industrial partner will not affect the choice of business partner, partly because both Lufthansa (Star Alliance) and Delta (Sky Team) are Airbus friendly carriers and thus able to help the new ITA grow in the market.
In any case, it is unlikely that the first deliveries will arrive before spring 2022, when the summer schedule will kick in and the airlines' hot period will begin.
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