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.
The Italian newspaper Domani revealed that the metallic blue livery chosen for the planes of the newborn ITA Airways weighs up to 300 kg more per aircraft due to the use of mica to obtain the metallic effect. This would result in a greater waste of fuel, a greater impact on the environment and a competitive handicap, as fuel consumption has become the first item to be cut down to reduce costs and increase profit margins.
According to the newspaper, the top management of ITA admitted the inconvenience. However, according to the technicians of the new airline risen from the ashes of Alitalia, the additional weight of the mica blue paint would be of maximum 120 kg.
In addition to the weight problem, the choice of this livery could also entail higher maintenance costs. Particularly in the belly of the aircraft, where small leaks of hydraulic oil often occur, it is easy for the paint to get damaged.
However, some industry experts argue that the controversy is not justified. In particular, analyst Gregory Alegi, journalist and lecturer active in the aerospace field for over 35 years, declared to newspaper La Stampa: "If ITA had chosen the white livery of the old Alitalia, someone would have stigmatized the lack of imagination. I see a bit of bad faith in these excessive criticisms that tend to be made of ITA. Counter-proof: when the white plane with the words 'Born in 2021' was presented, I did not hear praises for the ecological value of that choice". The analyst adds that "in the recent past, Alitalia had excessive scruples on fuel saving, so much so that pilots criticized the company for the practical management difficulties that this policy entailed. So, let’s not point our finger at ITA as major polluter only because the chosen paint weighs a little bit more".
On the fact – cited by many critics – that most airlines opt for a lighter, easier-to-maintain white livery, Alegi notes: “Colour other than white is an unusual but not extravagant choice. For example, KLM has a blue livery and is not the only airline that opted for a colour other than white. As for why white predominates, in my opinion the real reason is that if you take or return leased aircrafts, having white as the base colour of almost all operators is the simplest solution to change the livery of an aircraft with the minimum aesthetic intervention on the nacelle".
Having said that, even if the additional weight is of maximum 120 kg per aircraft, in the current scenario ITA Airways would have to deal with a competitive disadvantage and all that this entails in terms of fuel costs, environmental impact and maintenance.