Italian airline Alitalia has announced that all flights from October 15, 2021 will be cancelled.

The airline is officially closing, so passengers with flights booked after October 15 should read on for what to do next.

Why is Alitalia closing?

Italy has struggled to find investors to save the bankrupt airline after it was put into state administration in 2017. The situation has been made worse by the pandemic which saw flights grounded around the world for months. Alitalia will now cease operations entirely later this year.

In 2019, before COVID-19 hit, the airline carried 21.3 million passengers to 81 different destinations with 3,600 flights every week. Until recently it employed more than 10,000 staff. So far it has been announced that Alitalia staff will be considered for the 2,800 staff the new airline ITA will need. More on them below.

What do I do if Alitalia has cancelled my flight?

The options for passengers with flights after October 15 are a little complicated. But it does seem that you will be able to fly, or get a refund.

Alitalia have said they want to “manage the situation in a clear and transparent way, safeguarding consumers.”

It’s important to note that you’ll have the most options available if you bought your Alitalia flights before August 24 2021, with a ticket number that starts with “055”. This is the first thing to check.

The good news is that the airline is getting government support- and this will be passed on to passengers. The Italian government has created a €100 million fund to reimburse customers of the airline. It comes after the country agreed a bailout deal with the EU to create a new debt-free company that would take over its assets.

Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera estimates that there are around 250,000 people who are due to fly with Alitalia after October 15.

The company says that these customers will have two options: replace their flights with an equivalent Alitalia flight before that date, or receive a full refund. Request a change here.

If replacing their ticket, passengers can either rebook or reroute their original journey. Rebooking involves changing your flight to one before October 15th but arriving at the same destination. This option is free.

It is also possible to change the destination to travel before this date or reroute your flight. But this might incur additional costs if the price of the flights is different. If the new flight is cheaper then there will be no reimbursement of the price difference and international flights cannot be changed for national ones or vice versa.

Alitalia announced on social media that it would send a “direct communication” to all customers with instructions. More information here.