In late August, a spokesperson for SkyTeam told Executive Traveller the alliance 'is currently partnering with Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA), the new carrier replacing Alitalia as the national airline, to explore ways to continue providing SkyTeam’s 700 million customers with seamless connectivity to key Italian destinations.'īut despite Alitalia's ties to SkyTeam, ITA could chart a decidedly different course.
'ITA has been created to be a strategic element in one of the large networks that already exist in the sector,' he said, adding that the startup 'can't be a stand-alone carrier forever.'Īs previously and exclusively reported by Executive Traveller, SkyTeam began discussions with ITA prior to the new airline taking flight. 'I am open to negotiate with everyone,' ITA Chairman Alfredo Altavilla admitted at the airline's launch last week. Italy's new ITA Airways, the state-backed successor to Alitalia, intends to join a global airline alliance next year – but that might be Oneworld or Star Alliance, rather than Alitalia's former SkyTeam family.