Good Bye Air Italy (ex-Meridiana)

Italian air carrier Air Italy (IG/ISS) has announced to discontinue all flight operations and ticket sales for cancelled flights. Flight operations should continue until February 25, and after that all flight operations will be discontinued. This is the second air carrier which went bankrupt in 2020, and both bankrupt companies are from Italy.

This air carrier was founded in 1963, under the first name Alisarda (IG/ISS). It started with flight operations in 1966, with two Nord 262s as Sardinian regional air carrier with the main operational base at Olbia. From 1991, they changed their name into Meridiana (IG/ISS). In 2006, they merged with Italian air carrier Eurofly (GJ/EEZ), and in 2011, again with Italian air carrier Air Italy (I9/AEY). Qatari flag air carrier Qatar Airways (QR/QTR) has bought half of shares in this company and after that they changed name into current Air Italy.

From 1966. many types of different planes were used in their fleet, namely: Fokker F-27, Fokker F-28, ATR-42, McDonnell Douglas DC-9, McDonnell Douglas MD-82, Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 767-300, British Aerospace BAe-146, Airbus A319, Airbus A320 i Airbus A330-200. Now, when they went bankrupt, they had only 4 Airbuses A330-200, 4 Boeings 737-800 and one Boeing 737-700. Qatar Airways have had a big planes with this company and they had announced to operate up to 50 planes at 2022.

Air Italy hasn’t have any regular flight operations to Croatia but last year they had announced to inaugurate Milan – Split route. Flight ticket on this route have never been offered, and the reason was the lack of planes in their fleet, as 3 new Boeings 737MAX8 were gounded (in the first picture). Under the name Meridinana they used to operate some regular and unscheduled charter flights from Italy to Dubrovnik and Split (in the picture below). Charter flight from Italy to Croatia were also operated under the name Eurofly to Zadar, and under the name Air Italy to Split as well (in the picture above).