A chapter in Italian aviation history will end on Thursday when ailing carrier Alitalia runs its last scheduled passenger flight.
An Alitalia service is due to fly from Calgliari airport in Sardinia to Rome late in the evening.
The flight from Cagliari is expected to land at the capital's airport Rome-Fiumicino airport at 11:10 pm, an airline spokesman said.
With the last flight, the airline will go out of service after 74 years in the aviation industry. Alitalia started in 1947.
New state airline Italia Trasporto Aereo (Ita) is due to take off on Friday.
It is considered to be Alitalia's successor, but according to the EU Commission it is not its "economic successor." Brussels wants Ita to break with Alitalia's troubled financial past.
Dependent on state aid
Alitalia had been dependent on state aid for years because the airline was not making a profit. Ita is therefore being launched in a streamlined form.
The new carrier says it is starting operations with 52 aircraft. This year, up to 2,950 people are to work in flight operations.
From its hubs in Rome and Milan, Ita wants to concentrate on business and leisure customers.
It will initially offer 45 destinations and 61 routes, including Frankfurt, Paris, London, New York and Buenos Aires.
