ITA Airways Becomes First Italian A350 Operator

DALLAS - ITA Airways (AZ), Italy's new national carrier, has taken delivery of its first A350, making it the type's 40th operator.

The aircraft, which is leased from ALAFCO, landed for the first time in Italy on Wednesday evening at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO).

The AZ A350 cabin is divided into two classes, with 334 seats divided into 33 full-lie-flat bed Business seats and 301 Economy seats.

ITA Airways' A350 will begin service in early June 2022 to operate the company's new intercontinental routes from FCO to Los Angeles (LAX), Buenos Aires (EZE), and Sao Paulo (GRU) during the summer season.

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ITA Airways and Airbus

The Italian carrier placed an order for 28 Airbus aircraft in December 2021, including 18 Single Aisle (seven A220s, 11 A320neos) and ten A330neos, the most recent variant of the most popular A330 widebody airliner. Furthermore, Airbus says AZ has already leased approximately 50 next-generation Airbus aircraft, six of which are A350s, to supplement their fleet modernization.

The Airbus A350 was designed from the ground up with cutting-edge aerodynamics, a fuselage and wings constructed of modern materials, and the most fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

At the end of April, the first preliminary flight of AZ's new A350-900 aircraft took place at Airbus' Toulouse headquarters. One of the airline's main priorities was the Airbus A350, which was critical for its long-haul strategy.

The type will fly on new intercontinental routes connecting Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, and Tokyo.

Featured image: First ITA Airways A350. Photo: ITA Airways