Alitalia’s successor, Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA), was given the go ahead to begin flying after Italian civil aviation authority ENAC awarded the new carrier its air operator’s certificate (AOC).

Italiaigi Di Palma said. “The hope is that the new national carrier will play a part in the restart of the sector, contributing significantly to overcoming the difficulties caused by the pandemic crisis.”

Since Alitalia’s 2017 bankruptcy, the carrier has been mired long-attempted rescue process, first as Italy sought a buyer for the airline, then following its nationalization at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It finally won approval for the relaunch earlier this year, after fulfilling the criteria of “economic discontinuity” that the European Commission had insisted on. With its AOC, ITA can begin flying.

In a business plan set out in July, ITA said it would launch Oct. 15 with a fleet of 52 aircraft. Under the new 2021-2025 business plan, the ITA fleet is set to grow to 78 aircraft by 2022 and 105 by the end of 2025.

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