Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Friday called for renewed efforts to uncover the full truth behind the 1980 Ustica air disaster, urging the cooperation of friendly nations as Italy marks 45 years since the crash that killed 81 people.
“The massacre in the skies over Ustica 45 years ago left a painful and indelible mark on the history of the Republic,” Mattarella said in a statement on the anniversary of the tragedy. “It remains one of the darkest and most harrowing events to have struck our country.”
Mattarella stressed that Italy would not abandon the pursuit of justice in the case, which has been clouded by decades of speculation, legal battles, and accusations of cover-ups. “The Republic does not relinquish the search for truth and calls on all those, including friendly countries, who can help us satisfy the need for justice — a need that does not fade with time, because it is woven into the very fabric of democracy,” he added.
On June 27, 1980, Itavia Flight 870, en route from Bologna to Palermo, crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, off Sicily, killing all 81 people on board, including 13 children. The disaster — known in Italy as the “Ustica Massacre” — has long been the subject of controversy, with theories ranging from a bomb explosion to a missile strike during a military operation.
In March, Rome prosecutors requested that a preliminary investigations judge shelve the latest inquiry into the case, citing an inability to identify the nationality of military aircraft believed to have been involved in a dogfight that may have led to the crash. According to Italian daily La Repubblica, investigators ruled out the possibility of a bomb onboard, instead supporting the hypothesis of military involvement, though they were unable to establish who was responsible.
Judicial sources said the investigation was hindered by a lack of transparency and incomplete or misleading information provided by foreign countries believed to be involved in the incident.
In 2013, Italy’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, concluded that a missile fired from an unidentified source caused the disaster and acknowledged what it described as “definitively ascertained cover-ups” during the investigations.
A decade later, in 2023, former Italian prime minister Giuliano Amato publicly suggested that a French missile was responsible for downing the Itavia DC9, alleging the attack was part of a failed attempt to assassinate Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
The president of the association representing relatives of the victims, Daria Bonfietti, expressed deep frustration over the shelving of the most recent investigation, opened in 2008 after former president Francesco Cossiga also pointed to French responsibility.
“There is great pain for our loved ones who still have not received full justice and disappointment for the many years of investigations and the tireless efforts by magistrates and lawyers, which have yet to uncover the complete truth,” Bonfietti said.
The Itavia airline, based in Italy’s Marche region and owned by entrepreneur Aldo Davanzali, ceased operations following the disaster.
The Ustica tragedy remains one of Italy’s most enduring national mysteries, a symbol for many of the challenges the country has faced in confronting painful chapters of its past.
Read more on the issue via https://www.stragi80.it/
