1946: The Birth of a Major Airline in Italy

September 16, 1946

In the aftermath of World War II, the airline Aerolinee Italiane Internazionali was formally instituted in Rome. “British European Airways and the Italian Institute for Industrial Reconstruction signed an agreement today establishing a new British-Italian airline to be called the ‘Italian International Airlines,’” reported the Associated Press. “At the start the line will operate only between Italian cities, and later extend its services to principal European cities and Latin America.”

Giuseppe de Micheli was the airline’s first chief executive officer; he served in this position until 1948. This airline would become widely known known as Alitalia, a blend of the Italian words for “wings” and “Italy.” (The attached photo of an Italian International Airlines plane bearing that name was taken in 1948.)

The inaugural flight for this airline did not take place until May 5, 1947. The plane used for that flight was a Fiat G.12 Alcione transport aircraft piloted by Virginio Reinero from Turin to both Catania and Rome. In that year alone, the airline transported more than 10,000 people.

This airline’s first international flight occurred on July 6, 1947, when Valentino Pavetti piloted a four-engine Savoia Marchetti SM.95 plane from Rome Ciampino Airport to Oslo. Italian International Airlines’ inaugural transatlantic journey took place in March 1948. The plane used for this flight, which began in Milan and ended in Buenos Aires, was an Avro 691 Lancastrian. Senegal and Brazil both served as stops for the plane during its pioneering 36-hour flight.

In 1957, Italian International Airlines merged with Linee Aeree Italiane to form Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane. Another major change occurred in 2009, when this airline was merged with the Italian low-cost airline Air One to form Alitalia-Compagnia Aerea Italiana. This airline, in turn, was reorganized as Alitalia-Società Italiana (SAI) in 2015. The airline that started out as Italian International Airlines ceased operations altogether in 2021, when Alitalia-SAI was sold to and replaced by Italia Transporto Aereo (branded as ITA Airways) in 2021.

Photo Credit: Public Domain

For additional information on airlines that have been established in Italy, please check out  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airlines_of_Italy and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_airlines_of_Italy