Italy’s state-owned ITA Airways, which took over Alitalia’s routes after its bankruptcy, plans to resume flights to Brazil in the middle of this year, reactivating one of the most important international connections from Italy. And this return should occur with the new Airbus A350-900 alternating with the A330 on the route.
In January we reported on the permission granted by ANAC to ITA Airways to operate scheduled flights to Brazil. Until then, the company was only authorized to operate non-scheduled flights and did so to transport cargo on board passenger aircraft.
Our partner site AEROIN had access to the plans for the start of the flights. A document provided by a source close to the company in Italy shows the planned flights and highlights the presence of the Airbus A350-900 on the network to Brazil.
Planned operations
The company has planned the following schedule for its resumption in Brazil. All flights will be on the Rome – Guarulhos route starting June 1, 2022 (the flight lands in Brazil the following day). Flights to Rio de Janeiro are not scheduled to return.
From June 2 to July 30: six flights per week, except Mondays. Takeoff from Guarulhos to Rome takes place at 2:25 p.m. (AZ-675). Flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays will be operated by Airbus A350 and the others by A330-200.
August 2 to October 28: Flights are again daily and the schedule remains the same as before. The Airbus A350 will operate on the route on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
No tickets are on sale yet and plans may be adjusted, depending on the A350 arrival schedule.
ITA’s A350
According to CAPA, the arrival of the first A350-900s, which will be second-hand, will be in June 2022 and the first examples would be four ex-Hainan aircraft, with serial numbers 285, 308, 323, and 338. The aircraft configuration will be 33 seats in business and 301 in economy.
Currently, the company’s only long-haul aircraft are the A330-200s previously flown by Alitalia. These aircraft, of a previous generation, have 19 seats in business, 17 in Premium Economy, and a further 213 in economy.
In the future, this fleet configuration will change, as ITA Airways recently signed an agreement with Airbus to renew its fleet of narrowbody and widebody aircraft. In total, there will be 28 aircraft, including seven A220s, 11 A320neo, and 10 A330neo.
See also: ITA Airways received authorization to operate scheduled flights to Brazil
