ITALIAN CORPORATE-aircraft operator Alpi Eagles is undergoing a major transformation into a domestic airline. Owned by some of the biggest industrialists in northern Italy, including Diesel, Marzotto, Sopaf, Stefanel, Zanussi and Zucchini, the company is planning to begin scheduled operations at the end of April.
The Veneto region in northern Italy, covering Verona, Trieste and Venice, has a catchment area of 10 million people and has the highest gross domestic product in Europe. The carrier believes that competition will stimulate a market now poorly served by Alitalia and Meridiana - as has happened with the recent entry of Air One and Noman on the Rome-Milan sector.
Initial schedules will provide several daily flights between Verona and Rome and Cagliari, and between Venice and Rome. Regular charters will also be introduced between Verona and Timisoara in Romania. Connections, principally from Verona, to other European industrial cities and business centres will be established later.
Alpi Eagles is negotiating with British Aerospace leasing arm AMO to purchase four ex-Swissair Fokker 100s, taken in part-exchange for the sale of Avro RJ100 regional jets to Crossair. It is retaining its corporate fleet.
Source: Flight International
