Lauda Air Italy

Lauda Air S.p.A.
Boeing 767-300ER
IATA ICAO Call sign
L4 LDI LAUDA ITALY[1]
Founded1990 (1990)
Commenced operations
1993 (1993)
Ceased operations
2003 (2003) (merged into Livingston Energy Flight)
Operating bases
Milan Malpensa Airport
LaudaPoints
Parent companyLauda Air
HeadquartersMilan, Italy
Key peopleAndrea Molinari (CEO)
FounderNiki Lauda

Lauda Air Italy, also known as Lauda Air Italia, was an Italian charter airline founded in September 1991 by ex F1 racing driver Niki Lauda, which passed under the control of the Livingston Aviation Group holding company in September 2005.[2]

History

Lauda Air Italia was founded in 1990, by former F1 champion Niki Lauda, as a subsidiary of the Austrian sister airline Lauda Air. The air carrier began operations in 1993 with a Boeing 767-300ER, later increasing the fleet to four aircraft. It operated mainly long-haul charter flights to the Caribbeans (Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Cuba), Africa (Kenya and Tanzania) and the Indian Ocean (Maldives), mainly out of Milan Malpensa Airport. During months of increased request from tour operators, short/medium-haul flights were also operated, mainly to the Red Sea and also to Ibiza.

A Canadair CRJ100 in June 1999

In the late 1990s, it was deemed appropriate to add some scheduled regional flights. A pair of Canadair CRJ100s were moved from Austria to Italy for this purpose. The initiative met with limited success and ended in 2001.

In 2003, Lauda Air Italia was purchased by the Ventaglio Group, a powerful Italian operator in various sectors of tourism; as a result, the then newly established Livingston Energy Flight (Livingston S.p.A.) airline obtained from Austrian Airlines Group the right to continue using the Lauda brand for longer time. In these years Airbus A330-200s aircraft appeared in the fleet. By 2005 Lauda Air Italia had been totally integrated into Livingston Aviation Group.[3][2]

Fleet

The airline operated the following aircraft:

AircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredRefs
Airbus A330-200320032004
Boeing 767-300ER619952004
Canadair CRJ100219992001
Learjet 60120022004

Logo and livery

The livery consisted of a white fuselage on the upper part and a gray one on the lower part. A double line of red and green separated the two halves. The stylized L of the logo featured the same colors, reminiscent of the Italian flag (tricolour).

References

Further reading

  • M. & S. Iarossi (curators), Compagnie Aeree (in Italian language), EDAI, Firenze, 1999/2000 edition
  • G. D'Avanzo, Deregulation (in Italian language), "Armi e Politica" no. 5, Casa Editrice Nuove Ricerche, Ancona, 1996
  • N. Pedde, Almanacco delle Linee Aeree Italiane 1947-2007 (in Italian language), "Landra Helicus", GAN, Roma, 2007, ISBN 978-88-89640-06-7

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