Airways

TourMaG – Tensions in the Middle East have significantly disrupted air travel. What impact has that had on ITA Airways?

Samy Addou: The impact is the same as for all market participants. The situation is not easy.

At ITA Airways, we have been very dynamic. We have leveraged fuel hedges that cover about 80% through year-end to try to control costs and, above all, to limit the impact of rising prices.

And we have primarily adjusted capacity and destinations to be as responsive as possible.

As part of this recovery plan, we reopened Tel Aviv on July 1. We will reopen Riyadh in September.

TourMaG – Should we expect capacity adjustments on certain routes?

Samy Addou: No, that is not the case. The program remains stable via Rome-Fiumicino, whether heading to Italy or on the long-haul network.

TourMaG – Travel agencies are noticing later bookings and customers who are more budget-conscious. Do you see the same trend?

Samy Addou: Yes, absolutely, that is a trend that is being confirmed. But what we note is that even if bookings are increasingly late, it does not affect overall demand.

What is very important for us is revenue, so we focus on load factors and yield to ensure we achieve our objectives.

We also adjust capacity, as I mentioned, but also our commercial strategy on a continuous basis, and that is very important for us.



TourMaG – What exactly does this commercial strategy entail?

Samy Addou: We stay close to market players, to distributors, and we work to support them in managing operational variabilities and finding solutions for their clients because ultimately, our distributors need support and we are at their service.

TourMaG – You recently launched the Marseille-Rome route and strengthened Nice. How is this development going?

Samy Addou: Marseille is a great success. The launch is going wonderfully, first of all thanks to our distribution partners. I want to particularly thank them. But also thanks to the Marseille airport, with whom we are working extremely well, and that is very important for us.

The value proposition from Marseille to Rome-Fiumicino is not only point-to-point, but it also enables connectivity from the region to Italy, and beyond, on ITA Airways’ long-haul network.

This is part of a seasonal development plan, as we also opened, at the same time as Marseille, Malaga, Valencia, Alicante, Mykonos and Trapani.

We have also added frequencies on important seasonal destinations in Southern Italy with Brindisi, Lampedusa, Pantelleria, Palma de Mallorca and, above all, Nice.

TourMaG – Specifically, why does Nice occupy a special place in your network?

Samy Addou: Nice is a destination and/or starting point in France that is historic for ITA Airways. The city has accompanied us since the start of operations.

We added a fourth flight starting July 1, through September. And this flight is a night stop. The aircraft stays in Nice and departs very early the next morning. It connects to the entire ITA Airways network.

This enables Nice residents and the PACA region, but also Monaco, to travel to all destinations in our network.

This increase in frequencies and capacity reflects the commitment of customers, but also of distributors to the route; it also reflects growing demand.

Our strategy is really to be efficient and to put in place solutions that are profitable for the future.

TourMaG – Can the Rome-Fiumicino hub become a genuine alternative to other major hubs in Europe or the Middle East?

Samy Addou: For me, it is a more than credible alternative. Rome-Fiumicino is a five-star airport as rated by Skytrax. That is the maximum rating.

The airport was totally renovated after Covid; it is brand new. Connections are a short walk from the Schengen area to non-Schengen. You have access to all the best Italian cuisine, and to many shops. It is really a pleasure to connect via Rome-Fiumicino.

I have no doubt that the other airports are also excellent. But if you travel via Rome, you will not be disappointed.

TourMaG – Which long-haul routes are currently the most promising via Rome-Fiumicino?

Samy Addou: Thank you for asking, because ITA Airways is of course the national Italian airline, but not only that.

We have a long-haul network that has grown in recent years, and we cover all five continents.

The strongest destinations from Rome-Fiumicino are in North America, because ITA serves Toronto in Canada and eight destinations in the United States.

We also have a wonderful network in South America: Rio daily, Sao Paulo twice daily, Buenos Aires nine to ten times a week. That is very important to us.

We have also developed our network in West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania with the Maldives, Mauritius, and Asia, of course, with Tokyo Haneda, Bangkok, and India.

TourMaG – Could France benefit from new regional route openings?

Samy Addou: I would like to give you an answer, but it is a bit premature.

What I can tell you is that at ITA Airways we are very attentive to network efficiency. We study all opportunities and we will seize, if the opportunity arises, the opening of new regional routes.

TourMaG – Lufthansa Group intends to raise its stake to 90%. concretely, what does that change for ITA Airways?

Samy Addou: Before talking about the future, I will first talk about the present, because concretely, it brings a lot of value for customers and passengers.

Since April 1, we have joined Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance.

We have also joined the Miles & More loyalty program of the Lufthansa Group.

The integration allows for code-sharing. For ITA, that already means 150 additional destinations, 130 lounges that our passengers can access directly thanks to this development in recent weeks.

In Germany, at Frankfurt and Munich airports, we are now a single entity under the Lufthansa Group. We have already joined Lufthansa for operations.

Then, there is a whole range of advantages: cargo is unified, fares are aligned, and we benefit from cost reductions in distribution costs (GDS).

And the big novelty is the NDC, which we migrated to on May 12.

TourMaG – Is the move to NDC linked to the closer integration with Lufthansa?

Samy Addou: We are doing things in order. Migrating to NDC solutions was part of our action plan.

The advantage is that we benefited from the great expertise and experience of the Lufthansa Group, which is a pioneer on the subject.

This greatly facilitated our internal tasks, but above all, it allowed a very smooth implementation for all our partners since May 12.

TourMaG – Where will tourism professionals be able to meet you in the coming months?

Samy Addou: I invite them to meet at the start of the season, at IFTM, on the Business Club, where we will have a shared stand with the Lufthansa Group.

We will be eager to present our innovations to them, represent the group at our stand, and then welcome them for a spritz.