Italia Transport Aereo relies on Airbus to renew its fleet. After weeks of rumors, the new Italian company confirms with an official note how much anticipated from Corriere della Sera last July. The company intends to buy 28 state-of-the-art aircraft from the European aerospace giant. A move worth almost 5 billion dollars at list price, net of the discounts that still exist. Another 31 planes will be chartered by the specialized company Air Lease Corporation, 25 additional jets will be leased by five companies also in the leasing sector.
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The contract with Airbus
Ita – which intends to replace Alitalia on 15 October – has signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” with Airbus for the purchase of 28 aircraft: 10 Airbus A330neo for intercontinental routes, 7 A220 for national and European routes (divided between A220-100 and A220-300), 11 of the A320neo family for short and medium-haul routes which would also mean some A321s for African and Middle Eastern destinations. The latter – specifies the note – will arrive after 2025. The overall list price, according to the calculations of Courier service, is around 4.9 billion dollars. No number appears in the press release, but two international experts explain that the agreement could have an effective value of 1.9 billion dollars considering the maximum discounts applied. The amount that will be paid by Ita is between 1.9 and 4.9 billion.
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I jet in leasing
Among the 56 leased aircraft, 13 will be long-haul – “including the Airbus A350-900” – and 43 short and medium-haul, again between A220 and A320neo. “The company will halve the number of lessors that will accompany it in the process of renewal and expansion of the fleet from twelve to six,” clarifies the note. The first new jets “will enter the fleet from the end of the first quarter of 2022” and “at the end of 2025, 70% of Ita’s fleet will be made up of new generation aircraft” out of a total of 105 units. «The choice of a single supplier allows to overcome the limits of flexibility in the management of the crew and to obtain greater efficiency in the supply of spare parts for aircraft and in maintenance activities».
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The reactions
“The strategic partnership with Airbus and Alc is crucial for Ita in order to change our business plan in achieving the goal of operating a new environmentally friendly fleet with significantly low operating and leasing costs”, he explains in the press release. the president of Ita Alfredo Altavilla. “The choice of Ita is very rewarding and is a testament to the great value of the Airbus product range,” adds Christian Scherer, Airbus’ head of sales and head of Airbus International. “The agreement sets a benchmark in the progression towards decarbonisation and efficiency.” “These agreements will allow Ita to operate with a new and more technologically advanced fleet to serve its network of European and intercontinental routes with great efficiency,” said Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, president of Alc.
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