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Alitalia’s last flight — Italian airline ceases operation

Friday, October 15, 2021

On Thursday, the 14th of October, Alitalia ceased operation after 74 years on the market. Despite this, passengers can still claim refunds for cancelled Alitalia flights.

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For the past few years, Alitalia was having trouble staying profitable. Since 2017, the airline has been in Extraordinary Administration — first offered on auction to multiple transportation companies, ultimately ending up taken over by the Italian government.

Now, Alitalia will be replaced by another national Italian airline, ITA (Italia Trasporto Aereo). The airline takes over exactly where Alitalia left off — it commenced operation on the 15th of October, continuing some of the routes previously operated by its predecessor.

However, despite a €1.35 billion investment into ITA by the Italian government, the airline will be significantly downsized compared to Alitalia. ITA starts with 52 jets, less than half of what Alitalia used. The new airline will also not hire as many people, at least in the beginning — while Alitalia operated with a workforce of around 10,000 people, ITA starts with about a quarter of that (2,800).

Alitalia airplane

During Alitalia’s many years on the market, its passengers experienced many delays and cancellations. Interestingly, Alitalia's last flight, Thursday's AZ1586 from Cagliari to Rome, also happened to be delayed.

Thankfully, passengers can still claim refunds for cancelled Alitalia flights — if their flight was cancelled fewer than 14 days before the departure date.

Check if you are eligible today and claim your money before it’s too late. Depending on the point of origin and point of departure, you have up to 6 years from the original departure date to claim a refund for your cancelled Alitalia flight.

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