Fondazione GRINS
Growing Resilient,
Inclusive and Sustainable
Galleria Ugo Bassi 1, 40121, Bologna, IT
C.F/P.IVA 91451720378
Finanziato dal Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), Missione 4 (Infrastruttura e ricerca), Componente 2 (Dalla Ricerca all’Impresa), Investimento 1.3 (Partnership Estese), Tematica 9 (Sostenibilità economica e finanziaria di sistemi e territori).



Open Access
Airline financial distress is a global phenomenon, yet its market implications remain underexplored. A notable case is the restructuring of Italy’s flag carrier, Alitalia, which went bankrupt and ceased operations on October 14, 2021. The following day, ITA Airways took over, inheriting parts of Alitalia’s network while operating under a distinct governance and management structure. This article examines how this transition has affected Italy’s aviation market and fare dynamics. By estimating price regressions at the route level using monthly fare data from 2017 to 2023, and by accounting for the non-random selection of routes retained by the airline after the reorganization, we find that the restructuring led to lower fares in the domestic market but higher prices on international routes, particularly for long-haul flights. In response to competitive pressures, ITA has adopted a more complex pricing strategy: functioning as a low-cost carrier domestically while raising fares on long-haul routes.
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AKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are very grateful to the two anonymous Referees for their comments and suggestions, which substantially improved the paper. We also thank participants of the 6th SoAR Symposium (Bari), WEAI 2025 (San Francisco), ATRS 2025 (Hong Kong), and SIET 2025 (Bari) for their valuable feedback. All remaining errors are our own. Angela S. Bergantino and Mario Intini acknowledge that this study was funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU, Mission 4, Component 2, in the framework of the GRINS - Growing Resilient, INclusive and Sustainable project (GRINS PE00000018 - CUP H93C22000650001). Mattia Borsati and Xavier Fageda acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2024-158983OB-I00), the Generalitat de Catalunya, and the research group on Governments and Markets (SRG2021-261). The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, nor can the European Union be held responsible for them.
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