Lufthansa Italia
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| Founded | 2008 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 2 February 2009 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 29 October 2011 | ||||||
| Operating bases | Milan–Malpensa Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Miles & More | ||||||
| Airport lounge | Senator Lounge | ||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance (affiliate) | ||||||
| Fleet size | 20 | ||||||
| Destinations | 18 | ||||||
| Parent company | Lufthansa | ||||||
| Headquarters | Milan, Italy | ||||||
| Key people | Michael Kraus, CEO | ||||||
Lufthansa Italia S.p.A was an Italian airline and a wholly owned subsidiary of the German Lufthansa Group headquartered in Milan and based at Milan–Malpensa Airport. Operations started on 2 February 2009 and ceased on 29 October 2011.[1]
History
Foundation
On 28 April 2008 Lufthansa announced plans to commence intra-European flights out of Milan–Malpensa Airport using six Embraer 195 aircraft from its subsidiary Air Dolomiti.[2] On 26 November 2008 the new brand Lufthansa Italia was formed instead of the originally planned Air Dolomiti operations.[1][3] Operations started on 2 February 2009 using the larger Airbus A319-100.[4] The new subsidiary was established to allow Lufthansa to better tap into the lucrative North Italian market that was all but abandoned by Alitalia during a series of cutbacks. The airline's on board cuisine was aimed towards the Italian market, with Italian foods and drinks. For example, in business class, Italian espresso was served.
Shutdown
On 23 July 2011, Lufthansa reported in a press release that it would stop all Lufthansa Italia operations by 29 October 2011[5] as it had been proven to difficult to operate the Italian-based operations economically.[6] As a replacement, the Lufthansa Group increased their flights from Italian destinations to their German hubs in Frankfurt and Munich instead.[6] The last scheduled flight of Lufthansa Italia was LH3627 on 29 October 2011, which landed at 16:35, coming from Palermo to Milan-Malpensa, which was flown on the Airbus A319-100 with the registration D-AKNJ. The former Lufthansa Italia aircraft have been transferred back to other Lufthansa Group airlines.
Destinations
The following cities were served by Lufthansa Italia prior to its shutdown on 29 October 2011:[7]
| Hub |
| Future destination |
| Seasonal |
| Terminated destination |
| City | Country | IATA | ICAO | Airport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona |  Spain |
BCN | LEBL | Barcelona El Prat Airport |
| Bari |  Italy |
BRI | LIBD | Bari Airport |
| Cagliari | Italy |
CAG | LIEE | Cagliari Airport |
| Casablanca |  Morocco |
CAS | GMMC | Casablanca Anfa Airport |
| Catania | Italy |
CTE | LICC | Catania Airport |
| Ibiza | Spain |
IBZ | LEIB | Ibiza Airport |
| Lisbon |  Portugal |
LIS | LPPT | Lisbon Airport |
| London |  United Kingdom |
LHR | EGLL | Heathrow Airport |
| Madrid | Spain |
MAD | LEMB | Barajas Airport |
| Milan | Italy |
MXP | LIMC | Malpensa Airport |
| Naples | Italy |
NAP | LIRN | Naples Airport |
| Olbia | Italy |
OLB | LIEO | Olbia Airport |
| Palermo | Italy |
PMO | LICJ | Palermo Airport |
| Palma de Mallorca | Spain |
PMI | LEPA | Palma de Mallorca Airport |
| Paris |  France |
CDG | LFPG | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport |
| Prague |  Czech Republic |
PRG | LKPR | Prague Airport |
| Stockholm |  Sweden |
ARN | ESSA | Arlanda Airport |
| Warsaw |  Poland |
WAW | EPWA | Warsaw Chopin Airport |
Fleet
As of June 2013, the average age of Lufthansa Italia's aircraft was 14.7 years. The fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||
| Airbus A319-100 | 10 | 12 | 120 | 132 | |
Five of the airline's aircraft came from Lufthansa subsidiary Germanwings, and the other five came from Lufthansa's base at Munich. All aircraft were given names of Italian cities, such as 'Bologna' and 'Varese', and were painted in a modified Lufthansa livery. The aircraft retained their German registrations. In 2010, the airline planned to replace one A319 with two Airbus A320, but this never occurred. Two of the five daily flights to London were operated by a British Midland International Airbus A321 in a 31/118 configuration.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lufthansa press release: "Lufthansa launches new Lufthansa Italia brand"
- ↑ Lufthansa press release: "Lufthansa boosts services from Milan"
- ↑ Espinoza, Javier. "Lufthansa's Italian Adventure." Forbes. 26 November 2008.
- ↑ Lufthansa press release: "Fly Lufthansa direct from Milan to major European cities"
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.airliners.de/aus-fuer-lufthansa-italia/24212
- ↑ http://www.ch-aviation.ch/portal/airline.php?cha=LHI
External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (Archive)
