The ‘Alitalia’ brand might soon be given a more significant revival by successor carrier ITA Airways, with the airline’s new chief suggesting the former name has much stronger recognition, particularly in international markets.
Speaking after an event at the IATA AGM in Delhi to mark ITA’s progress towards Star Alliance membership in 2026, chief executive Jorg Eberhart – who hails from ITA’s new investor Lufthansa Group – said the business is considering options beyond the current “Inspired by Alitalia” branding that features on some uses of the ITA logo.
“Alitalia is a brand in the world [that] is much more known than ITA, which started four years ago, so of course we are investing into ITA, but in the future we will invest again into Alitalia,” he says.
Crucially, Eberhart questions whether a modestly sized airline can sustain a dual-brand strategy, which suggests a decision might be made to commit to a single brand.
“If you have two brands you have to invest in both of them,” he explains. “It might be a bit too much for us as an airline with 100 aircraft… a multi-brand strategy might be difficult, but we are currently exploring options to have a certain merger of these two brands.
“I’m not sure when this will happen but the will is there.”
ITA disclosed in September last year plans for its “Inspired by Alitalia” branding, a move aimed at complementing its own identity with that of the former Italian flag carrier.
