ITA Airways, the Italian reference carrier, has inaugurated its new routes to and from Saudi Arabia with the launch of its first nonstop flight Riyadh - Rome Fiumicino.
The first ITA Airways flight to operate the new route, AZ 838, arrived at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh yesterday at 9:25 pm local time. The aircraft, an Airbus A321neo, was welcomed with a water arch.
To celebrate the launch of this new intercontinental route, marking the Company’s first destination in Saudi Arabia—an increasinglystrategicmarket—aribbon-cuttingceremonywasheldatthearrivalgateofTerminal 3atRiyadhAirport.TheceremonywasattendedbyPierfrancescoCarino,VicePresidentInternationalSales ITA Airways, Benedetto Mencaroni Poiani, Regional Manager for Asia, Middle East, and Africa ITA Airways, Valerio Cendali Pignatelli, Head of Economic & Business Affairs at the Embassy of Italy in Riyadh,AbdulazizAl-Asaker,ChiefCommercialOfficerofRiyadhAirportsCompany,whichmanagesKingKhalid International Airport, Thamer Yousef, CEO APG Saudi - As'hal Travel and Tourism, and Ashwag Alghamdi, Regional BU Partners Director at The Saudi Tourism Authority.
The inauguralITAAirwaysflightfromRiyadhtoRomeFiumicino,AZ839,departedtodayat1:45a.m.
Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, said: "We are proud to inaugurate ourfirstnonstopflighttoRiyadhandSaudiArabia,agrowingandstrategicmarketforITAAirways especially for business traffic. This new Riyadh - Rome connection marks a significant milestone for our Company and will intensify trade flows between theArabian Peninsula and our Country. Our commitment to theMiddle East region will continue withtheintroduction of new nonstopflightsto Kuwait CityandJeddah in July and August, respectively."
Delighted to welcome the new route from Riyadh to Rome, Ayman AboAbah, CEO of Riyadh Airports Company which is managing King Khalid International Airport said: "This is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts toexpand our networkand strengthen ourconnections with key globalcities.Weare excited to offer our passengers more travel options and look forward to welcoming travelers from Rome to discover therichcultureandhospitalityofRiyadh.Thisnewrouteisatestamenttoourcommitmenttoprovidingworld- class service and enhancing the travel experience for our passengers" he concluded.
“The introduction of direct connections from Rome to Riyadh in June and Jeddah in August is a crucial step in our mission to develop the tourism sector further and increase visitor numbers from Italy and beyond to Saudi. Thenewroutes,fueledbyourstrongpartnershipwiththenationalcarrierITAAirways,willsignificantly enhance accessibility and are expected to drive greater investments. This development will also strengthen the cultural and economic ties between Italy and Saudi," stated Hazim Al-Hazmi, President of Europe & Americas at The Saudi Tourism Authority.
We aredelightedtowelcomeITAAirways,Italy'sflagcarrier,asit launchesdirectflightsbetweenRomeand Riyadh—two key aviation hubs. ITA's entry into the Saudi market will greatly enhance our air connectivity, promote tourism between these vibrant capital cities, and attract more inbound visitors from the airline's extensive network in America. We look forward to working with our partners to offer travelers from around the world seamless and convenient access to the wonders of Saudi Arabia," said Mr. Majid Khan, CEO of the Air Connectivity Program.
The new direct connection operates five times a week, departing from Riyadh at 1:45 a.m. (local time) every day except Wednesdays and Sundays, and arriving in Rome Fiumicino at 6:35 a.m. (local time). The return flights depart from Rome Fiumicino at 3:25 p.m. (local time) every day except Tuesdays and Saturdays, arriving in Riyadh at 9:25 p.m. (local time).
The newrouteisoperatedwiththetechnologicallyadvancedAirbusA321neo.TheA321neoisthefirstnarrow- bodyaircraftconfiguredwiththreeseparateclasses:BusinessClass(12seats),PremiumEconomy(12seats) andEconomy(141seats,including12dedicatedtoComfortEconomy).Efficientandquiet,thenewA321neo boasts more than 20% lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions per seat, and a 50% reduction in noise impact compared to previous generation aircraft. It also features new Airspace Cabin with new colors and materials, latest-generation seats, ITA Airways’ custom interior lighting, and XL overhead bins. Each seat is equippedwiththelatestentertainmentsystem,featuring"on-demand"videoandaudio,17.3''(Business),
15.6'' (PremiumEconomy)and13.3''(Economy) lowreflectivityand4Kresolutiontouchscreensforasimple, smooth and intuitive user experience.
The opening of the new Riyadh - Rome flight marks a significant milestone for the airline, establishing connections to the Arabian Peninsula. This market will soon see additional new flights, including Kuwait City – Rome Fiumicino (starting on July 1) and Jeddah - Rome Fiumicino (starting on August 1). The further expansionofroutestoAccraandDakar inAfricawillbringto57thetotalnumberofdestinationsoperatedby ITAAirwaysinthecurrentsummerseason,with16domestic,26internationaland15intercontinental routes. Additionally,duringthesummerpeak,theairlinewillflyto12additionalseasonaldestinations,selectedamong themostpopularMediterraneantourismdestinations,includingGreece,Spain,CroatiaandtheItalianislands, reachable through nonstop flights from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate.
The flights can be purchased on ITA Airways’ sales channels, via the official website
www.ita-airways.com, the airline's Customer Center, travel agencies and airport ticket offices.