Ita will prefer Airbus to Boeing
What the Ita fleet will be like. Facts, names and rumors
The new Ita fleet should speak French: it could be made up entirely of Airbus planes.
Ita hasn't detailed much about its fleet plans so far, but a fleet of aircraft from the same family is expected. To “eliminate the complexity and inefficiencies deriving from the operation of aircraft from different manufacturers”, ITA envisages over the course of the plan “to converge on a single strategic partner” Corriere della Sera highlighted in July.
And the negotiations conducted by the top management of the newly formed Ita company reached a turning point: "The talks have intensified with the European manufacturer, preferred to the American competitor Boeing", Il Sole 24 Ore writes today .
Yesterday, the executive president Alfredo Altavilla told the Senate that with the development plan the Ita fleet will reach 78 aircraft in 2022, underlining that even after the renewal it will remain "a medium company", with about a hundred aircraft in 2025.
Already for the departure scheduled for October 15, Ita preferred Airbus to Boeing: the newco took over 51 Airbus aircraft and an Embraer from Alitalia (of which 45 are short-medium-range and 7 are long-range). So there is nothing for the 10 Boeings in Alitalia's current fleet.
In addition, in committee the president of the new company attacked the call for commissioners that started last week to win the Alitalia brand (290 million bidding base). “We were surprised, the value is unrealistic”, Altavilla expressed his doubts about the evaluation, considered too high.
All the details.
TOWARDS MAXI ORDER WITH AIRBUS
“A contract has not yet been signed, but practical aspects of the maxi-order are being defined, which should concern over 70 modern and low-consumption jets: models, delivery times, obviously the money. The value of the operation, based on the list price, can reach 5 billion euros and more (before the discounts, secrets), spread over a few years. The first 35 aircraft to be delivered by June 2022, the rest in 2023. Most of the aircraft will arrive under leasing, therefore the immediate outlay will be less than the full value of the machines ”, reported Il Sole 24 Ore .
WHAT THE FRENCH MANUFACTURER REPORTED TO THE SUN 24 HOURS
"With this sum you can buy a long-range aircraft such as the A330 (official price from $ 296 million upwards) or the A350 (price from $ 317 million)" the Confindustria newspaper stressed. A top Airbus manager told Sole 24 Ore , confidentially: «We are speaking positively with Ita, we have all the aircraft suitable for their needs, from the smallest A220 to the largest A350. For delivery times we can manage together with leasing companies, it is a menage à trois. The choice is up to them ».
Ita intends to acquire all the models in the catalog, A220, A320neo, up to the long-haul with the A330 and the largest, the A350 which can carry up to 400 passengers.
REASONS
Officially the newco is talking to both Airbus and Boeing, but the favorite is Airbus.
"For a mathematical question above all: currently Alitalia's fleet is all Airbus A319 and A320 (net of the few Embraers in the regional division) in the short and medium flight segment, and half Airbus (A330) and Boeing (777-200ER and a 777-300ER) in that of intercontinental connections ”had highlighted the Corriere .
“Then there is the technical aspect: it would take too long – in addition to the high costs – for the 'conversion' of pilots from the Airbus A320 to the Boeing 737 Max,” added the Corriere . “This is why it is better to focus on the« commonality »of the fleet which brings economic and logistical benefits thanks to the standardization of aircraft which share many components and characteristics and also the training requirements. Then there is the strategic question: according to experts, net of some extra-European destinations, the double-aisle Airbus is better than the Boeing equivalent for the Ita network of connections. And there would also be advantages in the context of international synergies both with Delta Air Lines and with Lufthansa ”.
THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE WITH A US VECTOR
Finally, if for the fleet the newco chaired by Altavilla intends to rely exclusively on the French company, as far as strategy is concerned, it looks beyond the Atlantic.
According to Il Sole 24 Ore, the leaders of the new Ita company are negotiating strategic partnerships with the American Delta Air Lines , which already has a commercial agreement with Alitalia and is linked to Air France-KLM, and with United Airlines. “Altavilla's intention is to bring the partner into the shareholding structure with a massive stake. There is a limit of 49.9% to the investments of non-EU entities. An issue that will have to be addressed when the agreement is closed. The goal is to get there in the first half of 2022 ”, the Confindustria newspaper reported today.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/ita-preferira-airbus-a-boeing/ on Thu, 23 Sep 2021 10:23:37 +0000.