| Commenced operations | 1966 (1966) |
|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1975 (1975) |
| Operating bases | Florence Airport |
| Fleet size | 3 –Yakovlev Yak-40 |
| Key people | Fiorenza de Bernardi[1] |
Aertirrena S.p.A. was a regional airline ofItaly,[2] operating in the 1970s. It was one of the few Italian airlines to operate Soviet aircraft.
Aertirrena was founded in1966 by the Italian employerFiorenza de Bernardi and formerAeroflot worker Piotr Ivanov. The airline was planned on operating services between Genoa, Rome, Milan, Athens and Florence, but with Soviet capital and investment of Aeroflot, holding a 30% stake, with the remaining 70% in the hands of de Bernardi.[3] The first flight of the airline took off in June 1970 between Genoa and Florence, with aYakovlev Yak-40 aircraft.[4] The airline grew considerably and incorporated another 2 Yak-40 (although both aircraft operated forOlympic Airways for a time[5]) and increased their flight frequency considerably.
Aertirrena finally consolidated as an important company and grew, with passenger numbers increasing year by year. However, the strong pressure and competition byAlitalia in the regional routes finally forced Aertirrena to cancel its service in 1975. In the aftermath of Aertirrena's bankruptcy di Bernardi and Ivanov foundedAvioligure and obtained a contract with Aeroflot to lease to Avioligure the 3 Yak-40 that had been leased to Aertirrena.
