Monday, January 1, 2024
Italy’s flag carrier, ITA Airways, is about to commence direct flights between Rome and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
The service will be beginning on August 1, 2024.
This announcement is in keeping with the airline’s ongoing expansion of its route network, extending into 2024.
Three-weekly flights
ITA Airways is already laying out its summer schedule as we embark on the new year.
The Italian carrier is set to launch a new route connecting Rome Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) and Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) with three weekly flights.
Initially, the carrier had planned to launch this route in October 2024. But it decided to advance the commencement date to August 1, 2024.
Currently, this route is not intended to be permanent.
The carrier has announced that it will be operational until March 29, 2025.
Below are the details for the route:
Rome (FCO) – Jeddah (JED)
From August 1, 2024, to October 26, 2024: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
From October 29, 2024, to March 29, 2025: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Jeddah (JED) – Rome(FCO)
From August 2, 2024, to October 25, 2024: Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
From October 27, 2024, to March 28, 2025: Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
The Italian airline did not disclose which aircraft it would deploy on this route.
However, considering the flight time is approximately four hours, ITA could easily use its fleet of Airbus A320 or Airbus A321 aircraft for this service.
In addition to 39 A320s and two A321s, the airline operates a fleet of 13 Airbus A319s, 10 Airbus A220s, 13 Airbus A330s, and six Airbus A350 widebodies, as per a website.
Airlines operating services between FCO airport and JED airport include the European low-cost carrier Wizz Air and Saudi Arabia’s national carrier SAUDIA.
Presence in the Middle East and Africa
Indeed, ITA has ambitious growth goals. In addition to its expansion in North America, the airline has also made plans to extend its reach to the East.
Starting May 5, 2024, ITA will include Riyadh (RUH) in its route network.
In June 2024, it will commence operations in Kuwait City (KWI). The route to the capital of Kuwait will be serviced three times a week from the airline’s hub at FCO.
ITA is also reaffirming its commitment to Africa.
This summer, the airline will launch flights to Accra (ACC) in Ghana and Dakar (DSS) in Senegal. ITA’s current African destinations include Cairo (CAI), Egypt, Algiers (ALG) in Algeria, and Tunis (TUN).
In addition to the above-mentioned flights, ITA will also expand its North American and European networks by adding more frequencies to London City Airport (LCY) and launching new routes to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).
Tags: Airline, ITA Airways
Monday, January 1, 2024
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