ITA Airways may retire brand-new A330neo jets within a decade, favoring all-A350 long-haul fleet

Quick summary

ITA Airways CEO Antonino Turicchi has indicated that, if forced to decide today, the Italian carrier would favor retiring its Airbus A330neo fleet in favor of an all-A350 widebody operation. The airline is already phasing out its older A330-200 aircraft by 31 December 2026, with the final flight planned from Boston Logan to Rome Fiumicino — and the newer A330neos could follow within the next decade if ITA formalizes its long-haul strategy under Lufthansa Group ownership.

No decision is final. But the CEO’s stated preference, combined with Airbus widebody slots booked solid to 2033, means travelers on ITA’s Rome–North America routes should start paying attention to aircraft type when booking.

ITA Airways is weighing one of the more unusual fleet moves in recent European aviation: retiring brand-new Airbus A330neo widebodies — aircraft still in the early years of their service lives — in favor of building an all-A350 long-haul operation. The airline’s CEO made the preference clear in a recent interview, framing it as a 10-year network play rather than a short-term cost decision.

The shift matters for travelers because it is not just about which plane shows up at the gate. It determines which routes ITA can sustain, how the cabin product evolves, and whether secondary long-haul destinations keep nonstop service from Rome Fiumicino at all.

ITA currently operates A330-200s and A350-900s on flagship routes including FCO–JFK, FCO–BOS, and FCO–GRU. The older A330-200 fleet is already confirmed for retirement by end of 2026. What is new is the suggestion that the A330neos — ordered as the backbone of ITA’s widebody renewal — may not survive the decade either.

Airbus slots are the hard constraint here. The manufacturer is fully booked to 2033, a fact ITA’s CEO acknowledged directly. Any A330neo phase-out depends on ITA securing additional A350 delivery positions, which almost certainly requires Lufthansa Group to leverage its own Airbus relationship on ITA’s behalf.

What the CEO actually said — and what it means for your seat

The preference for an all-A350 fleet was not buried in a financial filing. ITA’s CEO stated plainly that, given the choice today, the airline would favor the A350 over the A330neo for its next growth phase. That is a notable signal from an executive whose airline still has A330neos in active service on transatlantic routes.

The reasoning is strategic rather than technical. ITA views the A350 as the better platform for the network it wants to build over the next decade — longer range, higher payload, and more flexibility to open new long-haul markets from Rome without the payload penalties that constrain thinner routes. The A330neo, while a capable aircraft, is seen internally as less than optimal for the specific growth targets ITA has set.

Crucially, this is not a criticism of the A330neo as a product. Airbus positions the A330neo as a versatile medium- to long-haul widebody designed to complement the A350, not compete with it — and Airbus’s Chief Commercial Officer has confirmed there is no plan to cut A330neo production, meaning ITA’s potential move is airline-specific, not a sign the program is in trouble.

Why an airline retires new planes — the fleet commonality logic

Fleet commonality is one of the most powerful cost levers available to a mid-sized carrier. When pilots share a single training pool, maintenance crews work from one parts inventory, and aircraft can be swapped between routes without complex crew reassignments, the savings compound quickly. For ITA — still building toward profitability after emerging from the Alitalia collapse — that logic is especially sharp.

A dual A330neo/A350 widebody fleet locks the airline into two separate maintenance contracts, two sets of simulator hours, and two spares pools. Eliminating one type does not just cut costs; it simplifies the entire operation at exactly the moment ITA needs to demonstrate it can run a stable, efficient airline under Lufthansa Group oversight.

The A350 also aligns ITA with Lufthansa’s broader Airbus long-haul strategy, which strengthens collective bargaining power with both Airbus and engine suppliers. There is a political dimension too — signaling a decisive, modern A350 fleet helps distance ITA from Alitalia’s fragmented legacy. The trade-off is real, though: the A330neo is genuinely better suited to thinner medium-haul international routes, and retiring it may push ITA to cede some of those markets to partners or accept lower load factors on an over-gauged A350.

Delivery slots are the wildcard. Airbus is sold out to 2033, and ITA cannot simply place an order and wait — it needs Lufthansa Group to help unlock positions, either through order conversions or deferred deliveries from other group carriers.

How to protect your booking as ITA’s fleet evolves

ITA’s widebody transition is gradual and not yet locked in — but travelers booking long-haul from Rome over the next 12–24 months face real uncertainty about which aircraft will operate their flight.

• Check aircraft type before booking: Search specific ITA flight numbers on Google Flights or ita-airways.com and filter by aircraft type. A350-operated flights are already bookable on FCO–JFK and FCO–BOS; if the A350 cabin matters to you, confirm the type before purchasing.
• Monitor A330neo routes for schedule changes: Secondary long-haul routes currently operated by A330neos are the most vulnerable if ITA consolidates around A350s. If your destination is served by an A330neo today, check Lufthansa Group partner alternatives — Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian all cover overlapping European hubs.
• Track the Lufthansa acquisition timeline: Lufthansa Group’s planned acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA, which received conditional European Commission approval in mid-2024, continues to shape fleet and network decisions. If the deal closes cleanly, expect faster A350 expansion. If conditions tighten, ITA retains A330neos longer as a hedge.
• Use fare tracking for Rome routes now: Uncertainty around fleet changes does not affect current pricing — and Air Traveler Club’s airline promo monitoring tracks ITA fare sales and discount periods as they go live, useful if you want to lock in a Rome itinerary before any network rationalization takes effect.

Watch: Any Airbus order update or conversion announcement at the Farnborough or Paris Air Show — if ITA firms additional A350 slots or converts A330neo commitments, it signals a clear pivot to A350-driven network growth. Absent such a move, assume a mixed fleet persists well into the late 2020s.

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