When the Italian government put ailing Alitalia up for sale last winter, Lufthansa was not interested. However, the German group’s Italian regional subsidiary, Air Dolomiti, is stepping up efforts to hook passengers in northern Italy. The company announced plans to base six new Embraer E195s in Milan to enhance its intra-European flight offerings starting in the first half of next year.
Air Dolomiti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa. Established in 1991 by Italian entrepreneurs, it became a Lufthansa partner in 1994. Nine years later, the German flag carrier bought all shares of the Italian regional, which was then integrated into the Lufthansa Regional business unit. Air Dolomiti operates a fleet of six 46-seat ATR 42s, eight 64-seat ATR 72s and five 99-seat BAe 146-300s. The six new E195s are scheduled for delivery during the first half of next year and will enter service simultaneously at a date to be announced. Air Dolomiti has signed an agreement with SEA, the company that operates Milan Malpensa, to base the new aircraft at that airport. While the new Embraers will be operated by the Italian subsidiary, Lufthansa has not decided yet whether they will feature Air Dolomiti colors, the Lufthansa Regional paint scheme or the Lufthansa mainline livery.
