Avio Linee Italiane

An airline sponsored by FIAT

Some sources wrongly indicate that Avio Linee Italiane began operations in 1926.^[1] Indeed it was founded by FIAT on November 13, 1926, with capital entirely provided by the Turin automobile industry. Acclaimed pilot Arturo Ferrarin sat on the board of directors. The intention was to create another Fiat profit center and, at the same time, showcase the aircraft the parent company would produce in the coming years. Meanwhile, the relationships established with the Dutch Fokker industry and Deutsche Luft Hansa would prove invaluable, as would the experience already gained by SANA-Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea and Transadriatica, both flying German manufactured aircraft. In early 1927, the company applied for the necessary operating licenses for a foreign route that no one was interested in and that was being viewed with interest by the German government. The convention was signed in February 1928.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

The 1920s and 1930s

The first flight took off on May 23, 1928, on the Milan-Trento-Bolzano-Klagenfurt-Munich route, flown by Fokker F.VII. On October 9, the Milan-Rome route was added. On September 1, 1929, the capital was also linked by a direct flight to Turin. In 1931 the route to Munich was extended to Berlin.^[7] After initially equipping itself with Fokker F.VIIs, the airline primarily relied on aircraft produced in Italy, including those by the parent company. The most important were those designed by eng. Giuseppe Gabrielli and his skilled team. As of 1931, the air carrier had a fleet of seven Fokker F.VII^[8] In 1935, a Douglas DC 2 entered service. Some observers noted that the purchase of a single aircraft was due to the Fiat technical team's desire to study this metal aircraft and learn some of its secrets. In any case, shortly thereafter, Giuseppe Gabrielli would develop the Fiat G.18/G.18V, which entered service in 1936.

A.L.I. was the only air transport company in Italy not to be integrated into Ala Littoria. Despite Italo Balbo's opposition, Benito Mussolini treated Italy's largest industrial group favorably. The international network expanded further: in April 1937, the Venice-Milan-Turin-Paris route was launched, extended to London in June 1938. That year, the airline reached other European destinations: Wien, the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Rotterdam), Poland, Budapest, and Yugoslavia, some of which were operated under a pool agreement with the respective flag airlines. In 1937, six Savoia-Marchetti S.73s entered service. As of 1939, ALI had a fleet of 16 aircraft, including the DC 2 (registered I-EROS),^[9] nine Fiat G.18/G.18V and six S.73.^[10]

The war years

On May 24, 1940, ALI and its personnel were mobilized, and upon the declaration of war on France and the United Kingdom, the company became a transport component of the Italian Royal Air Force. It was assigned a base at Milan's Linate Airport. The most important component of the flying equipment consisted of the DC-2 and the S.73s. These were joined by a Douglas DC-3 that German troops had requisitioned from the national airline SABENA during the invasion of Belgium and which had been donated to Italy. All these aircraft were used extensively to transport troops between Brindisi and Albania, in preparation for the Italian attack on Greece.

During the war years, there were no significant developments for the airline, except for the delivery of several Fiat G.12Cs in 1941-42 but ALI suffered losses of human lives, aircraft, and equipment. At least one S.73 and four G.18s were lost in operational accidents.^[11] The allied bombings of Turin, which resulted in the almost complete destruction of Mirafiori Airport and ALI facilities, were particularly severe. After September 8, 1943, the remainder of Milan-Linate and Turin assets were requisitioned by the German military and routed to Germany.

After 1945

The company remained in legal existence until the end of WWII, only to reappear among those aspiring to operate scheduled flights in the years of renewed peace. The company was revived by the support of its major shareholder, FIAT, determined to restore what the conflict had destroyed. In early 1946, the company announced its plans: to re-establish connections from Milan to all parts of Italy, both in the north and in the south. At the same time a significant number of C-47s, which had been abandoned by the USAAF near Naples and which were to be converted to Douglas DC-3 standards, were distributed to all applicants selected by the Ministry of Transport, and ALI was assigned two of them. The issue of pilot retraining immediately arose, and the FIAT-ALI partnership immediately established intensive courses.^[12]

The resumption of activity

The airline debuted on April 16, 1947, with a daily flight from Milan-Linate to Rome (Urbe airport) using a Fiat G.12T temporarily loaned by the Italian Air Force.^[13] In June, with the availability of three DC 3s, flights to Cagliari, Naples, Reggio Calabria, and Palermo were launched. Subsequently, Turin-Rome and Rome-Catania were added, as requested before. On July 25, Rome's Ciampino airport was reopened for civilian traffic, significantly improving operations to and from the capital. On December 8, the government granted the concessions requested, but some routes were never activated.^[14] In the spring of 1948, the first three of the six G.212CPs ordered were delivered. The trimotors were used from April 19 on the first international routes: from Milan to Paris, Brussels, and Zurich. Unfortunately, two serious accidents occurred during the year: on 1 July a G.212CP was destroyed in Belgium, on 6 December a DC 3 while taking off from Milan-Linate.

After initial enthusiasm, Italian private carriers suffered a decline in traffic and a dramatic increase in costs (staffing, aircraft maintenance, fuel). By the end of 1948, the situation was critical for at least three of these companies. FIAT realized the time was ripe for a merger.^[15]

A.L.I.-Flotte Riunite

On February 1, 1949, the new entity, called A.L.I.-Flotte Riunite, was presented. It was the result of the merger between A.L.I., Airone (also a Fiat G.12 operator), SISA, and Transadriatica. Operational integration took place on March 1, while the three absorbed carriers were dissolved over the summer. Some duplications were immediately eliminated and services were streamlined. The combined airline had an extensive route structure, encompassing Barcelona, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Prague, Vienna, Athens and Brussels. Overall, the fleet consisted of four FIAT G.12s, five FIAT G.212CPs, and twelve Douglas DC 3s.<refDavies 1964, p. 292 Davies writes "seven G.12," but the airline had ordered six G.212s two years earlier, so it is probable that the fleet consisted largely of G.212s</ref> The company's legal incorporation deed was signed on August 27.^[16]