10/29/2011: Lufthansa Italia Ceased Operations

On October 29, 2011, Lufthansa Italia ceased operations from its Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) base. Parent airline Lufthansa (LH) had announced the shutdown in May, setting the end of the summer timetable as the final date for the brand.

The venture had been introduced in November 2008. Lufthansa's 2009 sustainability report describes an operation tailored to the Italian market, with Italian-speaking flight attendants and improved facilities at Malpensa developed with airport operator SEA.

Flights began on February 2, 2009, with Barcelona as the maiden destination. Lufthansa's historical timeline records plans for six Airbus A319s to serve European destinations from Milan. A contemporaneous launch report carried by Catalonia's investment agency also records the start of service to Paris.

By April 2009, the network covered eight European destinations and three Italian cities. Alongside Barcelona and Paris, it served Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Lisbon, London-Heathrow (LHR), and Madrid, with domestic flights to Bari, Naples, and Rome, according to *Business Traveller's* account of the completed launch.

An Italian Experience

The Italian identity extended into the cabin. Business Traveller reported uniforms and headrests carrying the Italian tricolore, with pasta dishes and freshly made espresso in business class on international flights.

The separate brand proved difficult to sustain. In the May 23, 2011 announcement, Lufthansa's then CEO Christoph Franz attributed the decision to falling prices on European routes and competition, which he said made a profitable European network under its own brand difficult to establish.

Lufthansa planned to redeploy the A319s elsewhere within the group for the 2011/2012 winter timetable. Its Italian strategy would instead concentrate on Lufthansa and Air Dolomiti (EN), feeding the group's hubs, with additional Air Dolomiti frequencies to Germany.

Lufthansa's 2011 annual report confirms that the operation ended with the summer timetable. The group continued serving Italy through Lufthansa and Air Dolomiti, with an emphasis on connections through its hubs.

Featured image: Lufthansa Italia A319-100.