ITA Airways layoffs and AI

ITA Airways, statement quoted by Travel Quotidiano (29 October 2026): "La crescente integrazione con il gruppo Lufthansa, insieme all’evoluzione tecnologica e organizzativa della compagnia ... richiede un importante processo di aggiornamento delle competenze" and "La procedura avviata si inserisce in questo quadro e punta ad accompagnare le situazioni nelle quali il percorso di riqualificazione risulta più complesso" (Translation: The growing integration with the Lufthansa group, together with the company's technological and organisational change, requires a major process of updating skills ... The procedure opened is part of this and aims to support the cases in which retraining is more difficult). la Repubblica (29 October 2026), on the company's letter to the ministries and unions: "La mossa ... viene giustificata con le guerre, il caro cherosene, la “brusca” contrazione nelle vendite dei biglietti, ma anche con la trasformazione tecnologica dettata dall’IA." and "Ma la lettera del vettore allude anche alla digitalizzazione e all’intelligenza artificiale. Pur senza ricorrere a un uso “indiscriminato”, queste due leve cambieranno il modo di lavorare. Parte delle attività amministrative e organizzative saranno automatizzate, e alcune duplicazioni eliminate anche attraverso l’utilizzo di strutture di Lufthansa." (Translation: The move is justified by the wars, expensive jet fuel and the 'sharp' fall in ticket sales, but also by the technological transformation driven by AI ... But the airline's letter also points to digitalisation and artificial intelligence. Without 'indiscriminate' use, these two levers will change the way of working. Part of the administrative and organisational work will be automated, and some duplication removed, also by using Lufthansa's structures.) Sky TG24 (31 October 2026): "La missiva cita l’IA agentica capace di gestire alcuni compiti in modo autosufficiente." (Translation: The letter mentions agentic AI able to handle some tasks on its own.)

ITA Airways, the Italian airline in which Lufthansa holds 41%, opened a collective dismissal procedure on 29 October 2026 for 226 of its 5,269 staff in Italy: 10 pilots, 90 cabin crew and 126 ground staff, with the first dismissals due by 30 December 2026 and a second group possible until the end of 2027. Its letter to the labour and economy ministries and the unions, as la Repubblica and Sky TG24 report it, gives jet fuel prices that nearly tripled with the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a sharp fall in ticket sales and engine problems that grounded new aircraft as reasons, and also says that digitalisation and AI will change how work is done, with some administrative and organisational work automated and agentic AI taking on some tasks; the airline's own public statement says its integration with Lufthansa and its technological and organisational change call for retraining, and that the procedure covers the cases where retraining is hardest. Because the employer names AI as one of several reasons and the 226 is the number in its own formal notice, the figure is counted. The letter itself is not public, and how many people finally leave, and how they are chosen, is still to be negotiated with the unions.

Roles the sources name:

Pilots, 10 roles (the company's letter, per la Repubblica and Sky TG24); Cabin crew, 90 roles (the company's letter, per la Repubblica and Sky TG24); Ground staff, 126 roles, mostly in commercial work and passenger assistance, with some in IT, maintenance and airport services (per la Repubblica)

Share of the workforce:

about 4.3% (226 of 5,269 staff at 15 October 2026, per la Repubblica)