The new Meridiana is called Air Italy
The confirm came Monday, February the 19th in Milano during the presentation of the business plan of the company acquired by Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Ceo, Al Baker announced: “It will be the top company in Italy and Europe”
Meridiana was born to support the tourism project of the Costa Smeralda Airport, and afterward, the development of the Italian Leisure and Charter flights. Meridiana Airlines has carried more than 100 million passengers to date, flying to national, international and intercontinental destinations. The Company has more than 1,400 direct employees, and it’s a partner of the main international airlines, as a member of IATA, and it is the airline with the most connections in the Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport.
Last 10 years the company has witnessed a dramatic change in European civil aviation industry, featured by fierce competition. Air Italy aims to become a global industry leader, with the new hub of Milano Malpensa, to the integration of the working on Roma Fiumicino, upheld by the predominantly seasonal strengthen network in Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport, historical headquarter.
Meridiana remains in Olbia. The headquarters of the company remains the Gallura city with an airport among the best in Europe, and the airline fleet of the new Air Italy will be completely renovated within 5 years with 50 aircraft to afford 10 million passengers traffic.
The after Meridiana; the attaining of International Destinations
Within 2022 they will be transported 10 million passengers, four times more than the current one.
At the conference, attended by Marco Rigotti, Alisarda and AQA Holding general manager; Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways; Sultan Alla, representative of Alisarda and Akfed, and Francesco Violante, CEO of Meridiana Airlines, was issued the press release which tells the fleet will increase of 20 new Boeing 737 Max, 8 the next three years in the new livery, the first in April 2018.
“The network will gradually expand, with two new routes of long-haul from Milan Malpensa to New York, and Miami”
These two new destinations, that will be inaugurated in June 2018, it will be preceded by new national destinations, in connection with intercontinental flights from Milan Malpensa, from Roma, Napoli, Palermo, Catania and Lamezia Terme from May the 1st.
In September 2018, Air Italy also open the Milan-Bangkok link, scheduled four times a week, and three additional long-haul routes will be announced later this year.