C.A.I. First
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Predecessor | Avianova |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Merged into Alitalia mainline operations |
| Headquarters | Italy |
Area served | Italy |
| Products | Passenger air transport |
| Parent | Alitalia |
C.A.I. First S.p.A. was an Italian carrier operating flights on behalf of its parent company, Alitalia, mainly to retain slot allocations at Milan Linate Airport. Following the merger between Alitalia and Air One, C.A.I. First continued its operations under the name Alitalia Express. It operated bases located at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome as well as Malpensa Airport in Milan. By February 2015, C.A.I. First ceased to exist as a separate entity and was fully absorbed into Alitalia's mainline operations.
Although legally registered as C.A.I. First, all flights were marketed under the Alitalia brand.
Formation and initial phase
Founded as a subsidiary of Alitalia, the airline commenced service on 1 October 1997, taking over from the defunct Avianova. In March 2003, there were intentions to acquire Minerva Airlines and transfer the fleet of Alitalia Express, but these plans were ultimately not executed.
Merger of Air One and Alitalia
In December 2008, Compagnia Aerea Italiana (C.A.I.) completed the acquisition of both Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane and Air One, merging them into a revitalized "new Alitalia". This consolidation encompassed Alitalia Express along with Air One CityLiner. The Alitalia Express brand was gradually discontinued, with regional routes consolidated under the Alitalia CityLiner brand, which was rebranded from Air One CityLiner.
By March 2013, Alitalia Express had retired its remaining 10 Embraer 170 aircraft. To preserve slot rights, only a single Airbus A320-200 (registration EI-DSC) from Alitalia’s mainline fleet was retained—a tactic previously employed with C.A.I. Second, formerly known as Volareweb.com.
On 6 February 2015, C.A.I. First was officially dissolved and merged entirely into Alitalia’s core operations.
Fleet
Prior to its closure in February 2015, the airline’s fleet consisted of:
| Aircraft | Quantity | Seating Configuration | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | 34 | — | 114 | 148 | ||
| Total | 1 | ||||||
Historical fleet
Throughout its operational history, Alitalia Express utilized the following aircraft types:
|