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HOW IT’S COATED
ITA Airways: Does the Paint Chosen for the Livery Weigh too Much? According to the estimates of Italian newspaper Domani, the metallic blue paint chosen for the new Italian flag carrier, ITA Airways, weighs more than a white livery, resulting in a greater waste of fuel.
T
he Italian newspaper Domani revealed that the metallic blue
aircraft, where small leaks of hydraulic oil often occur, it is easy for
livery chosen for the planes of the newborn ITA Airways weighs
the paint to get damaged.
up to 300 kg more per aircraft due to the use of mica to obtain
However, some industry experts argue that the controversy is not
the metallic effect. This would result in a greater waste of fuel, a
justified. In particular, analyst Gregory Alegi, journalist and lecturer
greater impact on the environment and a competitive handicap, as
active in the aerospace field for over 35 years, declared to newspaper
fuel consumption has become the first item to be cut down to reduce
La Stampa: “If ITA had chosen the white livery of the old Alitalia,
costs and increase profit margins.
someone would have stigmatized the lack of imagination. I see a bit
According to the newspaper, the top management of ITA admitted
of bad faith in these excessive criticisms that tend to be made of ITA.
the inconvenience. However, according to the technicians of the new
Counter-proof: when the white plane with the words ‘Born in 2021’
airline risen from the ashes of Alitalia, the additional weight of the
was presented, I did not hear praises for the ecological value of that
mica blue paint would be of maximum 120 kg.
choice”.
In addition to the weight problem, the choice of this livery could
The analyst adds that “in the recent past, Alitalia had excessive
also entail higher maintenance costs. Particularly in the belly of the
scruples on fuel saving, so much so that pilots criticized the company
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N. 72 - NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 - international PAINT&COATING magazine
