After Alitalia’s demise, ITA airline launches with new look

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Italy’s new national airline has made its inaugural flight and unveiled its new name and logo. ITA Airways has recycled the red, white and green of its predecessor as it tries to chart a new future amid competition from low-cost airlines. ITA, or Italy Air Transport, officially launched Friday after bankrupt flag carrier Alitalia made its last flights Thursday night, ending a 74-year business history. Protests and strikes accompanied the runup to Alitalia’s demise because the much smaller ITA is only hiring around a quarter of Alitalia’s more than 10,000 employees. The first ITA flight was the 6:20 a.m. from Milan’s Linate airport to the Italian city of Bari, on the Adriatic Sea.