Aeroitalia

Aeroitalia is one of the youngest airlines in Italy, and that is exactly what makes it interesting for spotters: The fleet is small, many aircraft have already had a few previous owners, and alongside its own jets, partners fly very different types under XZ flight numbers. On top of that comes a naming dispute that almost led to a new airline name. This page shows you how to identify Aeroitalia reliably – and what to watch for so your sighting is logged correctly.

Aeroitalia at a glance

Aeroitalia is a private Italian airline based in Rome. It was founded in 2021 on the initiative of investor Marc Bourgade; at the helm as CEO is Gaetano Francesco Intrieri, who previously advised the Italian transport ministry. The first scheduled flight departed on July 9, 2022 from Forlì, with destinations at the time within Italy, in Malta and on the Greek island of Zakynthos.

Little remains of the big plans from the early days: Long-haul flights to the US and Latin America were announced for 2023 but shelved in favor of the domestic and European network. Instead, Aeroitalia built up routes to Sicily and Sardinia step by step, opened a base in Bergamo and later shifted its focus to Rome Fiumicino.

Important for context: Aeroitalia has nothing to do with the former Alitalia. Its successor is ITA Airways, which today belongs to the Lufthansa Group. Aeroitalia is independent and does not belong to any alliance.

Codes and callsign

• IATA code XZ: appears in the flight number, so on the departure board, the ticket and the airport’s flight schedule.
• ICAO code AEZ: shows up in the air traffic control flight plan and on flight trackers when Aeroitalia itself is operating.
• Callsign AEROITALIA: this is how the crew identifies itself on the radio.

The code XZ is purely an airline identifier and says nothing about the country. How the two code systems relate is explained in the article on IATA and ICAO codes. And as with callsign and flight number, the same applies here: The flight number doesn’t always tell you who is actually sitting in the cockpit.

The fleet: Boeing 737s with outliers

Aeroitalia relies on used aircraft and leased aircraft. The numbers therefore vary from season to season, and different overviews show slightly different counts. For 2026, the picture is roughly this:

Type	Number (approx., as of 2026)	Seats	Operator	Spotter note
Boeing 737-800	about a dozen	189	Aeroitalia, some leased from HelloJets	The workhorse of the fleet
Boeing 737-700	2	148	Aeroitalia, partly leased from HelloJets	Shorter version, seen less often
ATR 72-600	2	68	Aeroitalia	Turboprop for short routes
Embraer E175 / E195	1 each	88 / 118	Marathon Airlines on wet lease	Flies as XZ, but with a different operator
Boeing 737 MAX 8	5 according to some overviews	–	via Air Lease Corporation	Deliveries announced from March 2027

The Boeing 737-800 is the type you see most often at Aeroitalia. Even the airline’s very first aircraft was a 737-800. You recognize the shorter Boeing 737-700 by its stubbier fuselage with only one pair of emergency exits over the wing. Both come from Boeing.

The ATR 72-600 looks completely different: a high-wing aircraft with two propellers, built by ATR. It suits short domestic routes and smaller airports. If you want to photograph propellers sharp but with a sense of motion, the guide to shutter speed for propellers will help.

In the past, a few other types showed up, mostly leased for a short time: an Airbus A319, older Boeing 737-400s, an Embraer E190 and even a Saab 340. For collectors, these guest appearances are the most exciting entries in the logbook.

Wet lease: who is actually flying?

Aeroitalia is active in the leasing business in both directions. On the one hand, partners fly for Aeroitalia: The Embraer jets operating under XZ flight numbers are provided, crew included, by the airline Marathon Airlines. On the other hand, overviews also list aircraft that Aeroitalia operates for other companies or swaps with them, for example with HelloJets.

For you as a spotter, that means flight number, paint scheme and operator don’t always match. A leased aircraft doesn’t necessarily wear the Aeroitalia look, and an Aeroitalia 737 may be in service for a partner. What lies behind the principle is explained in the article Wet lease explained.

How to recognize Aeroitalia

The quickest help is the “aeroitalia” titles on the fuselage. Since the fleet consists mostly of Boeing 737s, also pay attention to the type: If you see a 737 with these titles in Italy, the identification is clear. An ATR 72-600 in Aeroitalia titles, on the other hand, is a rarer subject.

One detail that surprises many: Some jets of the Italian airline are registered in Malta. The first 737-800 already carried the registration 9H-CRI, and newer aircraft such as 9H-SIL or 9H-FOS are registered there too. So a 9H- on the tail doesn’t automatically mean a Maltese airline is flying. Which prefixes belong to which countries is covered in the overview of aircraft country codes, and how registrations are built in general in the guide Understanding aircraft registrations.

The naming dispute with ITA Airways

Since 2023, ITA Airways had been fighting with Aeroitalia over name and branding. ITA had taken over the Alitalia brand and considered the name Aeroitalia too similar. At first, a court in Rome rejected ITA’s motion for an injunction. In June 2025, the appeals court then ruled against Aeroitalia: Name and branding were too close to Alitalia, and the paint scheme and website had to be changed.

Aeroitalia responded with a rebranding plan and in September 2025 unveiled the new brand name “Air Italy”. The name has history: Until 2020, another Italian airline flew as Air Italy, the former Meridiana. A full renaming never happened, though – in February 2026, Aeroitalia reported a settlement with ITA under which it may keep its name and branding.

Network, bases and island service

Aeroitalia’s network is strongly focused on Italy. As of 2026, Rome Fiumicino, Bergamo, Comiso, Genoa and Salerno are listed as bases. From there the airline flies to numerous domestic destinations, such as Milan Linate and Milan Malpensa, Turin, Bologna, Pisa, Catania, Palermo or Lamezia Terme. In summer, vacation destinations such as Mykonos, Santorini, Ibiza and Mallorca are added.

An important part of the business is tendered routes for island connections, called “continuità territoriale” in Italy. In 2024, Aeroitalia won tenders for Sardinia – connections from Cagliari and Olbia to Rome and Milan for the 2024/25 period. Since November 2025, the airline has also served routes from Comiso in Sicily to Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate; this contract runs until the end of October 2028.

A foray into the Central and Eastern European markets remained an episode: At the end of 2023, Aeroitalia took over the Romanian AirConnect, which flew ATR 72s as Aeroitalia Regional from April 2024. In December 2024, the subsidiary was sold again. Routes to Vienna, Brno, Bucharest or Lublin are no longer in the schedule.

In the market, you meet Aeroitalia mainly alongside ITA Airways, Neos, Ryanair, Wizz Air and Volotea. The airline is also visible in soccer: It appeared as a sponsor of Lazio Rome, and the Bergamo base arose from a collaboration with Atalanta for their away trips.

Spotting Aeroitalia: tips for your Italy trip

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Aeroitalia is hardly ever seen on a regular basis. If you want to get the airline into your logbook, it’s best to plan a trip to Italy. The country’s largest airport, Rome Fiumicino, is the hub of ITA Airways and a base of Aeroitalia – there you see both airlines in one day, whose names were in court for so long. Bergamo, by contrast, offers plenty of low-cost traffic with Ryanair and Wizz Air as a backdrop.

Before the trip, it’s worth checking the current schedule, because Aeroitalia adjusts its network frequently. At the spot, also pay attention to the runway direction in use: Many Italian regional airports have only one runway, and with the wrong wind you’ll be standing on the wrong side. How to judge the direction is covered in the guide to runway direction in use at the airport. For light planning in the south, the article on sun position at the photo spot helps, and you’ll find more destinations for your trip in the best spotting locations in Europe.

Common mix-ups

• Mistaking Aeroitalia for Alitalia or its successor – Alitalia’s successor is ITA Airways, while Aeroitalia is an independent company.
• Equating “Air Italy” with Aeroitalia – the name was announced as a new brand in 2025 but used to belong to a different airline. Aeroitalia keeps flying under its own name.
• Assigning every 9H- registration to Malta – Aeroitalia also has jets registered in Malta.
• Logging the Embraer under an XZ flight number as an Aeroitalia aircraft – it belongs to a wet-lease partner.
• Entering the 737-700 as a 737-800 – the -700 is shorter and has only one pair of emergency exits over the wing.
• Expecting the announced 737 MAX 8 right now – deliveries are announced for 2027 at the earliest.

Conclusion

Aeroitalia is small, young and constantly on the move. The airline mostly flies Boeing 737-800s, supplemented by a few 737-700s, two ATR 72-600s and a partner’s Embraer jets. Its network is concentrated on Italy and the islands. If you note registration, ICAO code and type together, you can assign every sighting cleanly – even when a 9H- on the tail or an Embraer under an XZ flight number is confusing at first.