C.A.I. Second
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Predecessor | Volare S.p.A., Volareweb.com |
| Founded | April 14, 2006 |
| Defunct | February 2015 |
| Fate | Fully merged into Alitalia mainline operations |
| Headquarters | Ferno, Varese , Italy |
Area served | Italy and Europe |
| Parent | Alitalia |
C.A.I. Second S.p.A. functioned as an Italian carrier providing flight services on behalf of its parent company, Alitalia. When Alitalia merged with Air One, it maintained C.A.I. (previously known as Volare S.p.A. and Volareweb.com) to secure valuable slots at Milan Linate Airport.
Initially established as a low-cost airline branch under the former Alitalia-LAI, its headquarters were located in the Area Tecnica Sud within Terminal 1 at Milan Malpensa Airport, situated in Ferno, Varese, Italy. The airline discontinued operations under the Volare brand on 12 January 2009, subsequently operating Alitalia flights from Linate as C.A.I. Second — a legal entity not publicly branded, with flights marketed as Alitalia. The company was fully absorbed into Alitalia’s mainline operations by February 2015.
Early years
The Volare Group once operated routes from Italy to numerous European cities including destinations in Spain, Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Romania, and London's Luton Airport. Operations were halted in November 2004 when the airline filed for bankruptcy; passengers holding tickets for suspended flights were not reimbursed. After emerging from bankruptcy protection, Volare concentrated its services mainly on domestic Italian routes.
By May 2008, Volare was serving 20 European locations. Its leisure and charter division, Air Europe, offered long-haul flights but was discontinued following the merger of Alitalia-CAI and Air One later that year.
New ownership
After declaring bankruptcy, the Italian Government put Volare Group up for sale in December 2004. Although Air One contested the process, Alitalia-LAI’s bid of 38 million euros prevailed. Volare S.p.A. was officially established on 14 April 2006, with former employees of Volare Group transitioning to the new company by May 2006.
The former headquarters of Volare Group were based in Thiene, Italy, while commercial and charter management operated out of Milan. Despite facing several challenges during the sale process, integration into Alitalia-LAI was eventually completed.
By January 2008, Volareweb had become Alitalia-LAI’s designated low-cost carrier within Italy. Due to Alitalia-LAI’s strategic hub relocation from Milan-Malpensa to Rome-Fiumicino, multiple flights from Malpensa were either canceled or reassigned to Volare. Following the merger between Alitalia-CAI and Air One, these routes were discontinued; Air One took over as Alitalia-CAI’s low-fare brand at Milan Malpensa. To retain airport slots, only one Airbus A320 from Alitalia-CAI remained leased by Volare.
On 11 February 2015, Volare ceased to exist as a separate entity and its operations were fully merged into Alitalia’s mainline business.
Final operations
The airline code VE assigned to Volare Airlines was utilized on select Alitalia flights departing from Milan Linate Airport, enabling Alitalia to increase flight frequency within Linate’s slot constraints. C.A.I. First performed a comparable function.
Previous destinations
At the time of closure, Volareweb.com—Alitalia-LAI's low-cost branch—served the following locations:
- Alghero (Fertilia Airport)
- Brindisi (Brindisi Airport)
- Cagliari (Cagliari-Elmas Airport)
- Catania (Catania-Fontanarossa Airport)
- Lamezia Terme (Lamezia Terme International Airport)
- Milan (Malpensa International Airport), hub
- Pescara (Abruzzo International Airport)
- Venice (Venice Marco Polo Airport)
- Kraków (John Paul II International Airport)
- Łódź (Władysław Reymont Airport)
- Warsaw (Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport)
- Wrocław (Wrocław Airport)
Fleet
Prior to ceasing operations in February 2015, the fleet consisted of the following:
| Aircraft type | Quantity | Seating capacity | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y+ | Y | Total seats | ||
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | 34 | — | 114 | 148 |
| Total | 1 | ||||
Historical fleet
During its operational years, Volareweb.com utilized the following aircraft models:
- 31 Airbus A320-200
- 3 Airbus A321-200
- 7 Airbus A330-200
- 2 Boeing 757-200
- 3 Boeing 767-300
- 2 McDonnell Douglas MD-83
In March 2010, the final two Airbus A320s from Volareweb.com were repainted with the Air One branding and operated alongside three additional aircraft for Air One’s budget service.
See also
External links
- Volare Airlines (archived 2006–2008)
- Volare Airlines (archived)
- Volare Airlines (archived)
- Volare Group
- Volare Group (archived)