Alitalia, officially known as Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane, was Italy's national flag carrier from its founding on May 5, 1947, until it ceased operations on October 14, 2021. Throughout its history, the company became a symbol of Italian aviation, connecting Rome to more than 80 destinations across Italy and around the world. One of the key milestones in Alitalia's development was the introduction of Boeing 747 aircraft, which played a crucial role in expanding its intercontinental routes.
First Encounter
Let's fire up our imagination and travel through space and time. We're now in Rome, and it's May 13, 1970, on our calendar. Less than a year has passed since Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the Moon, and The Beatles just released their final album "Let It Be" a week ago before breaking up. But since we're talking about aviation here, let's hurry to Fiumicino International Airport – Italy's largest air gateway, located about 30 kilometers from the center of Rome.
The morning sun paints the runway in golden hues, and the rumble of an approaching aircraft can already be heard in the sky. Can you hear it? What an unusual sound – it's immediately clear this is no ordinary plane. Airport workers, off-duty dispatchers, and a crowd of onlookers emerge to greet the giant that's about to land on Italian soil.
When the gleaming, fresh-painted brand-new Boeing 747-100 rolled down the runway on all eighteen of its wheels, few could have imagined that this moment would mark the beginning of a 36-year love story between the airline and these sky giants. Alitalia, founded just 23 years earlier, was eager to prove it could play in the major leagues on long-haul routes. The first 747 to take up residence in Italy was the 36th "Jumbo" built at the Seattle factory – already known to the world, but still rare. It received the registration I-DEMA and was named after Neil Armstrong. Yes, that Neil Armstrong.
"My God, how enormous it is!" – such was the reaction of passengers climbing aboard via the stairs for the first time. 369 seats! In those days, when most aircraft accommodated a maximum of 150 people, this seemed like science fiction.
Less than two months later, on July 1, 1970, the firstborn was joined by a second "Jumbo," which received registration I-DEME and was named after Arturo Ferrarin – an Italian aviation pioneer. Now two giants were plowing the heavenly expanses over the Atlantic, while Italian pilots proudly wore badges featuring the Boeing 747.
Golden Years
1971 brought Alitalia a new airliner model – the Boeing 747-200. If the first "Jumbos" were a trial run, the "200s" became true masterpieces. More powerful General Electric engines, increased range and takeoff weight, and most importantly – more passenger comfort! Now Alitalia's fleet operated five passenger 747s of both models. But at the end of 1981, both firstborn 747-100s left the Alitalia fleet, though by this time 747-200 deliveries had resumed and the fleet began to grow.
The first two Boeing 747-200s, delivered in 1980 to replace the "100s," had the letter "M" in their model designation. This meant they were "Combi" versions, with a cargo door in the aft fuselage and part of the cabin dedicated to freight. Alitalia had three such models in total, while the rest had standard passenger cabins.
But everything changed in the 1990s. Several aircraft that once carried tourists to Italian beaches, after conversion procedures, received a second life as cargo planes. Now instead of suitcases full of souvenirs, they transported Ferraris and Lamborghinis to America, Milanese fashion to Tokyo, and Parmigiano and prosciutto around the world. Each flight was like a diplomatic mission: showing the world what "Made in Italy" means. A new division emerged – Alitalia Cargo.
Over all the years of operation, the company's fleet included a total of 19 aircraft in the 747-200 series. Each aircraft, like its maritime "colleagues," received its own name. Four of the five first "Jumbos" delivered in the '70s bore the names of famous pilots who paved the way to Italy's skies, such as "Geo Chavez" and "Francesco De Pinedo." Only the very first of them bore the name of an American astronaut. Yes, that same one.
From the beginning of the 1980s deliveries, naming traditions changed, and aircraft began to be "christened" after Italian tourist destinations that had gained worldwide fame, such as "Sorrento," "Capri," and "Cervinia." But among them were a couple of truly original specimens, remembered for their unusual appearance and becoming real stars.
Love Story in Chocolate Tones and Luxury
The Boeing 747-200 aircraft with registration I-DEMF and name "Portofino" one morning "woke up"... different. Instead of Alitalia's standard green-red-white livery, its almost entirely blue fuselage was adorned with "Baci Perugina" lettering and images of famous Italian chocolates with love notes. Now it carried advertising for the cult Italian chocolate brand.
Imagine the spotters' reaction at Heathrow Airport! In 1997, in an era when mass internet didn't yet exist, the word "smartphone" was a meaningless collection of sounds, and Flightradar was an unthinkable fantasy, capturing such a rarity on camera was like photographing a falling star against the night sky. Cameras clicked incessantly, people looked up – "Look, a chocolate airplane!" Not an airplane, but a candy!
The following year, Alitalia had another "Jumbo" try on a stylish suit and, most importantly, expensive Bulgari watches from the famous luxury brand. This was aircraft I-DEMS named "Monte Argentario," which carried advertising for the Italian company Bulgari, which produces luxury goods and owns luxury hotels. The brand name is stylized as BVLGARI, based on the traditional Latin alphabet, where the letters "V" and "U" are equivalent in writing.
Imagine: an aircraft weighing hundreds of tons, decorated with a jewelry house logo and expensive watches on the fuselage, like on a dandy's wrist! Every time this aircraft landed in New York or Tokyo, it wasn't just a means of transport – it was an ambassador of Italian style. "Mamma mia, how beautiful!" passengers exclaimed, and in this exclamation was the entire essence of Alitalia: passion, beauty, Italian temperament even at 11,000 meters altitude.
The Only One
When telling the story of the Italian carrier's 747s, I'd like to mention one unique Boeing 747-400F with American registration N409MC. It was used by Alitalia Cargo for freight delivery on routes to North America and Asia. The short-term lease was necessitated by the need to temporarily increase cargo capacity amid growing demand for air freight. After the contract ended in 2002, the aircraft was returned to Atlas Air, and Alitalia never operated this model again.
Farewell to an Era
Everything ends eventually. First, in 1981, the first 747-100s departed – simply because they became too expensive to operate. Then – one by one – the "200s" began to leave.
The last passenger Boeing 747 of Alitalia flew in April 2000, and the last cargo aircraft in 2006, marking the end of Boeing 747 operations several years before the airline itself ceased operations in 2021. Alitalia operated "Jumbos" for several decades. Its fleet included -100, -200, and -200M Combi models before transitioning to other aircraft types, such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A330.
Epilogue
Today Alitalia no longer exists – it was replaced by ITA Airways in 2021. Almost all the 747s that once wore Alitalia livery have permanently ceased flying. Almost. I didn't use that word by accident. As of 2025, two lucky survivors are still flying somewhere in the skies above our heads under foreign flags. The youngest and only 747-400F, once leased from Atlas Air, today operates on cargo flights in Australia as part of Qantas Freight. This isn't surprising, as the aircraft isn't yet old enough to be pushing concrete somewhere in the Arizona desert.
But one "old-timer" from those that joined the Alitalia fleet back in 1980, which received registration I-DEMR and bore the name Titano, now, at 45 years old, continues its "titanic" work with the Moldovan cargo charter company Fly Pro under registration ER-BAR. If you see it in the sky, remember its glorious past.
The Boeing 747 in Alitalia livery remains a symbol of an era when flights were adventures, not just a way to get from point A to point B. A time when an aircraft could become a work of art. And who knows, maybe somewhere, in the corner of an old hangar, there's still a can of "Baci Perugina" colored paint, waiting for its moment to transform an ordinary airplane into a flying candy once again.