ITA Airways

ITA Airways: Italy’s new flag carrier — and why “Alitalia” matters

ITA Airways is Italy’s flag carrier, flying from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate across Europe and long-haul to the Americas. It launched on 15 October 2021 — the day after Alitalia stopped flying — and now sits inside the Lufthansa Group, which built up from a 41% stake in early 2025 to a controlling majority, and moved ITA into Star Alliance. As an EU (Italian) airline, it’s covered by EU 261/2004 both leaving and entering the EU.

But there’s a catch unique to ITA, and it’s the single most important thing to get right: ITA is not Alitalia. Legally it’s a brand-new company — the European Commission ruled it is not the successor of Alitalia — and it did not inherit Alitalia’s debts or passenger claims. So if your disrupted flight was an old Alitalia flight (before mid-October 2021), you generally cannot claim it from ITA. For ITA’s own flights, though, normal EU 261 applies, and its long-haul routes make those claims valuable.

Your claim, times everyone on the booking

A delayed long-haul flight from Rome to the Americas is owed €600 a head — so a family of four is owed €2,400 for the same disruption that pays a solo traveller €600.

What your ITA claim is worth

EU 261 sets the amount by the great-circle distance of the route:

ITA’s European network sits in the €250–€400 bands, while its long-haul flights to New York, São Paulo and Buenos Aires are all €600. A flight that stays inside the EU is capped at €400. Try a few routes:

Note that the European routes here — even Rome → London (~1,430 km) — sit in the €250 band, while the transatlantic and South American routes jump straight to €600. ITA doesn’t fly many of the in-between €400 distances.

The Alitalia question

This is where ITA claims go wrong. Alitalia was placed in extraordinary administration and wound down its flying in October 2021; its debts and unpaid passenger claims sit in that liquidation, where ordinary claims are slow and often paid in part, if at all. ITA bought selected assets but, by the Commission’s own ruling, is a separate business that did not assume those liabilities.

In plain terms:

• An ITA flight (AZ, from 15 October 2021 onward) — normal EU 261, claim from ITA.
• An old Alitalia flight (before mid-October 2021) — you generally cannot claim ITA; that claim lies against the Alitalia administration.

Delays, connections and cancellations

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within ITA’s control, and you’re owed €250–600. Measured at arrival.
• Connections. On a single booking through Rome, compensation is based on the final-destination delay and the distance to it.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary circumstances — the per-passenger compensation on top.

Real example. A Rome → New York flight is delayed 5 hours by a technical fault. Not extraordinary, over 3,500 km to a non-EU country → €600 per passenger; a family of four is owed €2,400. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. A Rome → Athens flight is cancelled under 14 days out. Under 1,500 km → €250 per passenger, plus a refund or rerouting and care. Check a cancelled flight →

How to claim from ITA yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date (an AZ flight from October 2021 onward), ITA’s stated reason, and any receipts.
2. Confirm it qualifies — it’s an ITA flight (not an old Alitalia one); you arrived 3+ hours late (or cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary.
3. Work out the amount from the distance to your final destination — €250, €400 or €600 — then multiply by the number of passengers.
4. Submit ITA’s claim form. Use ITA Airways’ online complaint form, citing EU 261/2004, the flight and the arrival delay.
5. Escalate if refused. Italy’s enforcement body is ENAC; complain to ITA first, and if there’s no reply within six weeks, escalate — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real ITA scenarios

• Transatlantic technical delay. Rome → New York 5 hours late after a technical fault → €600 each (family of four = €2,400).
• The Alitalia trap. A delayed Alitalia flight from September 2021 → you can’t claim ITA; the claim lies against the Alitalia administration.
• Inbound from the Americas. São Paulo → Rome cancelled and rebooked → €600 each, because ITA is an EU carrier.
• Weather — the honest no. Rome → Buenos Aires delayed 7 hours by a storm → no compensation, but care (meals, a hotel) and a refund or rerouting.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

ITA Airways at a glance

Founded in 2020 and flying since October 2021, ITA Airways is led by CEO Joerg Eberhart and operates a young, all-Airbus fleet — A220 and A320neo short-haul, A330neo and A350 long-haul — from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, carrying around 18 million passengers in 2024. After the Lufthansa Group took a 41% stake in early 2025 and then moved to a controlling majority, ITA joined Star Alliance. It’s a clean break from Alitalia in every legal sense — which is exactly why it pays to know which airline actually operated your flight.

Why hand your ITA claim to Refundio

The Alitalia-vs-ITA question, the long-haul €600 value, and a young airline still settling its claims processes all make an ITA claim worth handling properly. Refundio buys your claim and pays you upfront, usually within days, checks it’s a claimable ITA flight, and takes ITA on itself. No win, no fee.

Check your ITA claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

Can I claim ITA Airways for an old Alitalia flight?

Generally no. ITA is a brand-new, legally separate company — the European Commission ruled it is not the successor of Alitalia, and it didn’t take on Alitalia’s debts or passenger claims. A claim for a pre-October-2021 Alitalia flight goes against the Alitalia administration (in liquidation), not ITA. For ITA’s own flights (from 15 October 2021), normal EU 261 applies.

How much compensation does ITA Airways pay?

€250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, €600 long-haul over 3,500 km to a non-EU country. Rome’s routes to the Americas are all €600. Intra-EU flights are capped at €400.

Is my ITA flight from the Americas back to Rome covered?

Yes. ITA is an EU airline, and EU 261 covers EU carriers both ways. A New York–Rome or São Paulo–Rome flight on ITA is covered, where the same route on a non-EU airline would not be — and these are the €600 band.

I missed my connection in Rome. Which flight counts?

Your final destination. On a single booking, compensation is based on the arrival delay at your final destination and the distance to it. A short delay into Rome that leaves you 4 hours late into New York can be worth €600 per person.

How do I claim compensation from ITA Airways?

Use ITA’s online complaint form, citing EU 261/2004, your flight and the arrival delay. If refused or unanswered after six weeks, escalate to Italy’s enforcement body ENAC — or hand it to Refundio.

How long do I have to claim from ITA Airways?

Generally a couple of years under Italian jurisdiction; it varies elsewhere. ITA only began flying in October 2021, so all of its own flights are recent.