When the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games open in northern Italy, many visitors’ first encounter with the event’s spirit will not be on the slopes or in the skating arenas, but at 35,000 feet. ITA Airways, the Official Airline Sponsor of the Games, has unveiled a striking new Airbus A320 in a dedicated Milano Cortina 2026 livery, transforming an everyday short haul workhorse into a flying showcase for Italian design, winter sports culture and the country’s most important tourism stage of the decade. Beyond its visual impact, the aircraft is part of a broader strategy to channel visitors, investment and attention toward Milan, the Dolomites and Italy’s wider tourism ecosystem.
A Flying Ambassador for Milano Cortina 2026
The centerpiece of ITA Airways’ Olympic initiative is an Airbus A320 216, registration EI DSY, now dressed in an eye catching special livery devoted to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Fresh from paint work in Ostrava and already back in commercial service on short and medium haul routes, the aircraft is designed to act as a flying ambassador for the Games, carrying the visual identity of Milano Cortina into airports across Europe and beyond.
The livery is the work of Italian illustrator Emiliano Ponzi, whose bold, contemporary style has already become familiar to ITA Airways customers through murals at the airline’s headquarters, its Flight Center and lounge exteriors in Rome. On the A320, Ponzi’s illustrations bring together stylized alpine landscapes, snow capped peaks and athletes in motion, blending seamlessly with ITA’s signature Savoy blue fuselage to create a cohesive national image rather than a separate promotional wrap.
Instead of limiting the design to a small decal or tail logo, ITA has allowed the artwork to stretch along the fuselage as a continuous narrative surface, highlighting Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and the dynamism of winter sport. The result is an aircraft that stands out immediately on the ramp, even in poor weather conditions that have so far challenged aviation photographers hoping to capture it in full sun.
Crucially, this is not a static showpiece. After receiving its new colors, EI DSY returned quickly to the airline’s regular operational network, appearing first on rotations between Rome, Genoa, Naples, Venice and Athens and then on additional European services. That decision ensures maximum public exposure for the Games branding in the months leading up to 2026.
Design Details That Tell a Tourism Story
While the livery pays obvious tribute to the sporting spectacle of Milano Cortina 2026, its visual cues are also carefully chosen to reinforce Italy’s tourism narrative. The snow covered mountains and crisp alpine lines evoke the Dolomites, home to Cortina d’Ampezzo and a swath of ski resorts that are expected to see a surge in international interest before, during and after the Games. Against the deep blue base color, these elements present northern Italy as modern, pristine and ready to host the world.
Emiliano Ponzi’s illustrations avoid nostalgia in favor of a contemporary graphic language that aligns with Milan’s image as Italy’s design and fashion capital. Simplified, almost abstract figures of skiers, snowboarders and para athletes communicate inclusivity and movement rather than focusing on any single star, mirroring the Games’ message of openness and accessibility for all travelers. That modern aesthetic is likely to resonate with younger tourists and city break travelers who may be more familiar with Milan’s creative industries than its mountains.
The aircraft is also named for Gustav Thöni, one of Italy’s most celebrated alpine skiers, linking the modern design directly to the country’s sporting heritage. ITA Airways has previously dedicated another aircraft, an A320neo, to speed skating legend Enrico Fabris, and both airframes now carry Olympic themed artwork. By tying the branding to real athletes, the airline underlines a narrative of national excellence and continuity from past winter champions to the new generation that will compete in 2026.
Inside the cabin, the Olympic theme will be complemented by on board announcements, branded materials and seasonal touches on selected flights, further reinforcing the sense that the journey itself is part of a larger experience related to Milano Cortina. For visitors whose first point of contact with Italy is an ITA Airways aircraft, that holistic storytelling can significantly shape their expectations of the destination.
From Runways to City Squares: The Wider ITA Olympic Campaign
The special A320 is only one element of a much broader push by ITA Airways to leverage its role as Official Airline Sponsor into tangible awareness for Milan and the host regions. In early February, the carrier unveiled SKYWAY, a brand installation in Milan’s Piazza San Carlo that will run through mid March 2026. Composed of two striking pavilions echoing ITA’s blue and white palette with warm wood details, SKYWAY is designed to evoke both an aircraft fuselage and an alpine lodge.
Visitors stepping into the fuselage like pavilion are greeted with windows framing a stylized mountain environment, blurring the line between urban public square and high altitude landscape. The installation invites locals and tourists to imagine the journey from Milan’s runways to the Dolomite slopes, reinforcing the city’s role as the primary gateway to the Games. For the airline, it is a powerful piece of experiential marketing that makes its brand and the Olympic partnership visible well beyond the airport perimeter.
At the same time, ITA has rolled out a multichannel advertising campaign that draws a deliberate parallel between the determination of Olympic athletes and the aspirations of travelers. Television, streaming, radio, web and social media spots emphasize the idea that when the destination is important, the journey becomes equally meaningful. This message dovetails with the special livery aircraft itself, which embodies the notion that even a routine flight from Amsterdam or Athens to Rome can be part of the broader Olympic story.
In its airport lounges at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, ITA has introduced dedicated menus and video content celebrating Milano Cortina 2026. For premium travelers, these touches ensure that the Olympic theme is present from check in to arrival, while also positioning the airline and its hubs as the natural starting point for journeys toward the Games venues.
Turning an Olympic Aircraft into a Tourism Engine
Special liveries are often dismissed as little more than eye catching paint, but in the case of the Milano Cortina 2026 A320, ITA Airways is aiming for a broader impact on tourist flows and traveler perception. By operating the aircraft across its short and medium haul network instead of limiting it to a narrow set of routes, the airline spreads awareness of the Games to a wide range of origin markets, from business heavy European capitals to leisure focused Mediterranean destinations.
When an aircraft wearing such a distinctive livery lands in cities like Amsterdam, Athens or Lamezia Terme, it becomes a conversation starter on the apron and in the terminal. Aviation photographers track its movements, passengers share photos on social media and airport communities become more aware of Milano Cortina as an upcoming event. Each of those interactions is a form of low cost, high impact advertising that complements formal marketing campaigns and helps keep the Olympics in the public eye during the long run up to 2026.
The livery also reinforces Milan’s status as Italy’s aviation crossroads. While the Games will be staged across the Alpine region, many international visitors will route through Milan’s airports before transferring to high speed trains, buses or regional flights. Positioning ITA’s aircraft as visual ambassadors for the event strengthens the association between the city, the airline and the wider region, making it more likely that travelers will choose Milan as their gateway, even if they ultimately plan to ski in nearby valleys or explore other Italian cities.
For tourism boards and local businesses, the presence of a dedicated Olympic aircraft backed by a national carrier’s marketing budget sends a clear signal of commitment. It encourages hotels, tour operators and transport providers to prepare packages geared toward the Games, safe in the knowledge that the event will receive sustained international promotion from a high visibility partner in the skies.
Boosting Milan’s Role as a Gateway to the Alps
Milan has long balanced its identity as a fashion and finance hub with its role as the de facto gateway to the Italian Alps. The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games offer a rare opportunity to broadcast that dual identity to a global audience, and ITA Airways’ Olympic livery is calibrated to support that repositioning. The aircraft visually connects city and mountain, hinting that visitors can enjoy world class culture, shopping and dining in Milan before or after time in the snow.
From a network perspective, the A320’s deployment on routes linking Milan and Rome to secondary Italian cities and key European hubs ensures that domestic and regional travelers are constantly reminded of the upcoming event. Residents of coastal cities such as Genoa and Naples, or business travelers shuttling between Milan and northern Europe, are repeatedly exposed to the Games’ imagery, increasing the likelihood that they will consider attending competitions, booking winter holidays in the host regions or participating in Olympic themed cultural events.
Internationally, the aircraft’s appearances at major European airports subtly underline Milan’s connectivity. Each arrival and departure signals that the city is well linked to the rest of the continent through ITA’s network, a critical factor for travelers comparing potential winter sports destinations. For long haul visitors connecting via Europe from North America or Asia, seeing the Milano Cortina livery on a connecting flight can act as a reassuring sign that logistics to and from the Games will be straightforward.
In the medium term, that strengthened perception of Milan as an efficient, attractive gateway to both urban culture and mountain adventure could outlast the Games themselves, leaving a legacy in the form of higher winter tourism volumes and more balanced seasonal demand for the city’s hotels and attractions.
Engaging Travelers Through Contests and On Board Experiences
ITA Airways is not relying on visual branding alone to turn Olympic excitement into actual bookings. The carrier has launched a prize competition titled Destination Milano Cortina 2026, aimed at adult Italian residents who purchase ITA tickets within a defined window between May and November 2025. Monthly prizes will take winners to Olympic or Paralympic events, complete with flights and accommodation for two, while a grand prize offers the chance to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Games.
This kind of incentive scheme encourages travelers to choose ITA over competing carriers for their 2025 trips, effectively using future Olympic experiences as a reward for present loyalties. It also broadens the base of Italian spectators likely to attend events in person, helping ensure that venues are filled not only with international visitors but also with domestic fans whose presence can contribute to a vibrant atmosphere.
On board, the airline is enhancing its product in ways that align with the broader Olympic message. Special Business Class menus on medium haul routes, curated for the period of the Games, are designed to showcase Italian culinary traditions with a refined, contemporary twist. At the same time, themed video content and announcements highlight ITA’s role in supporting athletes and promoting sustainable values, aiming to turn routine flights into small celebrations of the upcoming sporting festival.
For leisure travelers, these touches serve as memorable differentiators that can influence how likely they are to recommend the airline and destination to friends and family. For business travelers, they reinforce a sense of national pride and shared experience at a time when Italy will be firmly in the global spotlight.
Legacy Beyond 2026: A Template for Aviation Driven Destination Branding
Although the Milano Cortina themed A320 is officially a single aircraft within ITA Airways’ fleet, its influence may extend well beyond the life of the Games. The project demonstrates how a national carrier can use a targeted combination of aircraft livery, experiential installations, media campaigns and product enhancements to promote a major event in a way that has real implications for tourism.
By keeping the aircraft in normal commercial service rather than treating it as a one off showpiece, ITA ensures that the airline’s Olympic story remains visible in everyday travel contexts. The livery becomes part of the visual fabric of European aviation, not just an isolated marketing object. For other destinations and carriers, this approach offers a template for how to turn special color schemes into integral components of long term branding strategies that support cities and regions as they bid for and host global events.
For Milan, Cortina d’Ampezzo and the surrounding Alpine territories, the hope is that the excitement generated by a beautifully painted Airbus will translate into a lasting surge of interest. Once travelers have been enticed to book an Olympic trip, experience Italy’s slopes and cities and share their stories socially, the reputational benefits can persist for years, encouraging repeat visits and drawing new segments of winter and shoulder season visitors.
As EI DSY continues to crisscross European skies, each takeoff and landing represents more than a routine flight. It is a moving billboard for the Games, a symbol of national pride and a subtle but powerful tool in the campaign to make Milano Cortina 2026 not only a sporting success, but a catalyst for a new era in Italian tourism. In that sense, the aircraft’s true destination is not just a single airport, but a broader horizon in which Milan and its mountain hinterland occupy a brighter, more prominent place on the global travel map.