A new independent Italian airline was announced at a press event at the Hilton Hotel in Rome Fiumicino Airport on April 27. The project is being funded entirely by private capital and will begin operations from its initial base at Forlì International Airport next month.

The airline, stylized AEROiTALIA, is expected to utilize a fleet of several Boeing 737-800s from Forlì's Luigi Ridolfi Airport (FRL) on is looking to expand to a hub from which to begin long-haul flights. Aeroitalia’s Chief Commercial Officer, Giuseppe Careddu, outlined his vision for the airline:

“Our goal is that Aeroitalia fully represents the proud Italian spirit, the remarkable reputation of our country all over the world.

The Aeroitalia brand is founded on four typically Italian key values: warmth, care, beauty and excellence, expressively conveyed by a combination of attributes embedded in the symbol: future, dynamism, perspective, optimism and growth; the human touch, that is the person at the center of our attention with a sense of concern, attention to detail, warmth, empathy and pride".

It will be the third airline to recently announce operations from Forlì International Airport.

Initial steps and objectives

Aeroitalia obtained its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on April 22nd, 2022, a pivotal milestone to begin. It aims to start with charter flights over the next few days before commencing scheduled service. The airline will serve a regional network of crucial business routes with the aim of creating a feeder network for long-haul operations.

“Today is an important day not only for the birth of Aeroitalia but also for the entire commercial aviation in Italy and across the world," voiced German Efromovich, Aeroitalia’s Non-Executive President, at the launch. "An airline has been created that will offer everyone the opportunity to fly, strictly respecting standards of safety, comfort, and excellence in service."

The airline did not confirm any destinations at launch. However, executives teased two business routes are to be announced imminently from Aeroitalia’s first operational base in Forlì.

About Aeroitalia's first base of operations

Forlì International Airport, also known as Luigi Ridolfi Airport, is an airport in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, near the Italian Riviera. The airport has few scheduled flights and services a wide catchment area including Remini, Bologna, Ravenna, and the Most Serene Republic of San Marino, a small enclaved country with no airport of its own.

The airport sees charter flights and one scheduled service to Tirana on Albanian low-cost carrier Albawings onboard a Boeing 737-400. Air Dolomiti, the Italian subsidiary of German carrier Lufthansa, has listed flights to Munich and Monaco from the Italian airport. However, flights were not bookable as of press time.

Fellow startup Lumiwings is commencing operations from Forlì this year with links to Palermo (PMO), Catania (CTA), and Parma (PMF). The Forlì airport website lists destinations London and Paris as "coming soon" with no carrier listed.

Another regional private startup, EGO Airways, launched operations on March 30, 2021, using an Embraer ERJ 190 operated by German Airways. The airline ceased operations after its operating permit was suspended by the ENAC earlier this year.