Air Dolomiti was established on 30 December 1989 by the Linee Aeree Europee . The airline's name derives from the section of the Alps known as The Dolomites. It started airline operations in January 1991 with a Trieste-Genoa route and in 1992 started international services with flights from Verona to Munich. After several years of co-operation, Lufthansa acquired a 26% stake in January 1999 and increased it to 52% in April 2003 and 100% in July 2003. Since then Air Dolomiti has been controlled by Lufthansa. The airline employed some 552 people at March 2007 and although most Lufthansa Regional subsidiaries operate under their parent's name and colours, Air Dolomiti retains its own identity. At one time the airline's registered office was in Dossobuono, Villafranca di Verona, while the airline's executive headquarters were in Ronchi dei Legionari. In September 2018, the Lufthansa Group announced it would expand Air Dolomiti's fleet significantly by 12 pre-owned Embraer 190 and 195 aircraft to be transferred from sister company Lufthansa CityLine.
Destinations
As of March 2020, Air Dolomiti operates routes from Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport to 14 destinations in Italy and Austria in cooperation with parent Lufthansa. While most routes are codeshared, a sole route from Munich to Cagliari is operated as a Lufthansa flight.
As of March 2020, the Air Dolomiti fleet consists of following aircraft:
All of Air Dolomiti's aircraft are named after famous Italian operas, as a tribute to the city of Verona and its famous ancient theatre, the Arena di Verona.
Accidents and incidents
On 7 November 1999 Air Dolomiti Flight 2708, a Fokker 100, wet-leased from Alpi Eagles, flying from Venice, Italy, with 44 on board suffered landing gear failure while on the runway at Barcelona, Spain. It came to rest safely on a grassy area near the runway.
On 24 August 2008 an Air Dolomiti ATR 72, operating flight LH3990 from Munich, Germany, to Bologna, Italy, abandoned take off after the pilot announced a smoke alarm. The airline treated the plane's evacuation as a mild incident. But on August 26, an amateur video, filmed by a bystander, was circulating to great interest on television and the Internet. The footage shows tense moments of some 60 passengers jumping from and fleeing the burning plane before fire department workers extinguish the flames.
On 17 May 2012 an Air Dolomiti ATR 72-500 operating on flight EN-1912/LH-1912 from Munich to Venice returned to Munich after the right engine shut down and smoke was discovered in both cockpit and cabin. Shortly after touchdown the plane deviated from the southern runway and came to a standstill about 80 metres into the grass covered side strip. The nose gear is reported to have collapsed in the process. Of the 58 passengers and four crew members aboard, five passengers are reported to have received minor injuries.
