I had planned a trip to Naples, flying with Lufthansa. However a strike meant that I had to first find another flight to Naples, and then subsequently find my way back to my home city Luxembourg.
The return was Naples-Milan (Linate) with ITA, and a connecting flight with Luxair.
The Airbus A319 is a short- to medium-haul, narrow-body, twin-engine jet airliner designed and manufactured by Airbus as part of the widely successful A320 family. It first flew in 1995 and entered commercial service with Swissair in 1996. As of 2025, the A319 remains a common sight in European fleets, with over 1,400 units delivered across all operators.
The ITA Airways A319 typically seats around 120–140 passengers in a two-class configuration, and has a range of approximately 6,800 km, making it well-suited for intra-European routes as well as some longer sectors.
The A319 is a shortened variant of the A320, developed to offer lower capacity while retaining the same operational flexibility. It features the same wing, cockpit design, and systems as its larger siblings, allowing airlines to benefit from common pilot type ratings across the A320 family.
Earlier in the family, the baseline Airbus A320 was introduced in the late 1980s, followed by the smaller A319 and larger A321 variants. The A319 itself became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s for airlines needing jet performance on thinner routes.
ITA Airways, the successor to Alitalia, operates the A319 as part of its short-haul fleet, primarily serving domestic Italian routes and key European destinations.
Alitalia to ITA Airways
Alitalia, once Italy’s flagship carrier, struggled for decades with mounting debt, high operating costs, and repeated government bailouts. Efforts to privatise or restructure the airline failed to produce long-term stability, and by the late 2010s it was losing hundreds of millions of euros annually. After entering extraordinary administration in 2017, the airline continued operating with state support until the COVID-19 pandemic further worsened its finances.
In response, the Draghi government, in agreement with the European Commission, decided not to rescue Alitalia again in its existing form but instead to create a new, leaner carrier. This led to the launch of ITA Airways in October 2021, which purchased selected assets of Alitalia (e.g. planes, slots, brand elements), while leaving behind much of its debt and workforce. Creditors, e.g. banks and suppliers, didn’t get fully repaid (only 10%-20%). When ITA launched in 2021, it hired only around 2,800–3,000 people initially, later expanding somewhat but still far below the old workforce (over 10,000 employees).
Although ITA is considered Alitalia’s successor, it is legally a separate company designed to comply with EU state aid rules and operate on a more sustainable business model. After Alitalia collapsed, the Italian state (which owned ITA Airways) needed a long-term solution for the new airline. The government of Giorgia Meloni looked for a strategic partner who could make ITA viable. Finally, Lufthansa chose to invest, seeing ITA as a way to strengthen its position in Southern Europe.
Naples Airport
I had flown into Naples and had not been impressed with baggage handling, even if it was reasonably rapid and efficient. As far as can tell this was in the original baggage reclaim area in the main legacy arrivals hall. Old and crowded is a pretty good summary.
However, the departure area, both ground-side and air-side were modern and pleasant. There was a lot of people, but check-in, baggage-drop, security, etc. was run very efficiently. I was in a small group bussed out, and we found the aircraft waiting for us (and also waiting for someone who had forgotten their carry-on). I suspect the boarding area and gates could get a little crowded at times.
EI-IMV
The aircraft EI-IMV departed at 12:38, so 2 minutes early, and landed in Milan at 14:08, 3 minutes late. The plane arrived in Milan from Paris, then flew a return trip to Naples, then a return trip to Rome, before going again to Rome, where it stopped overnight.
The trip was fine, and the only on-board service was a small glass of sparking water.
This particular aircraft was delivered to Alitalia – Compagnia Aerea Italiana in January 2013. It was named Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, founder of the Futurist movement. On the 31 December 2014 it was withdrawn from service.
In January 2015, Alitalia – Compagnia Aerea Italiana, changed it name to Alitalia – Società Aerea Italiana. The plane was leased, possibly structured by the Dublin-based APF Advisors. It was placed in storage at Cagliari Elmas Airport from 16 May to 14 July 2020, and then again withdrawn from service on 14 October 2021.
There are also signs that this plane might have been put in store between 23 March and 15 June 2020 in Palermo airport, and again between 29 July and 25 October 2020 in the same airport, as well as being left parked occasional in Rome airport in 2020 and 2021.
The aircraft was delivered (transferred) to ITA Airways in October 2021, and it was renamed Alberto Ascari. Between September 2022 and December 2023, it carried the sticker “Monza 100”. My understanding is that it is now leased directly from FTAI Aviation Ltd. (FTAI means Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation). FTAI is not a “plain vanilla” lessor, and it focusses on engines rather than whole aircraft. This means it buy used aircraft mainly for engines, then lease spare engines to airlines, and sell or part out older planes (i.e. take apart and sells piece by piece instead of selling a whole plane).
This is an asset lifecycle strategy, where they acquire assets cheaply (often mid-life or older aircraft), then generate income via leasing, and extract value through maintenance programs, and a final teardown (selling parts).
