Rome rises again
Rome – the Eternal City – rises once again, with traffic at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) set to surpass pre-pandemic levels this summer.
Improved intercontinental connectivity is helping fuel the revival. From June, Qantas will link continental Europe with Australia for the first time with a non-stop flight between Rome and Perth, continuing to Sydney.
Summer will also see WestJet launch a direct service to Calgary, Canada; Gulf Air launch a direct flight to Bahrain and Icelandair increase connectivity with Reykjavík.
Then there are the US carriers, which are planning an extraordinary summer season at FCO, with an overall capacity 15% higher than in 2019.
There are more new destinations not previously connected to Rome, Tangieri, Girona, Figari and Cuneo thanks to Ryanair, Strasbourg and Lille by Volotea and the Montpellier with Transavia.
Then there’s Wizz Air. Having established a base at FCO in 2021, the low-cost carrier will look to expand its offering with 18 new routes, including Yerevan (Armenia) and Turku (Finland).
ITA Airways is also seeking to increase intercontinental connectivity from Rome: Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires started in June and Tokyo Haneda will be launched in August
Last but not least, in June, Singapore Airlines and Asiana Airlines reactivated operations to Asia as well as Korean that will resume flying in September, while for South America Aerolineas Argentinas is back and Latam will be from July
The business development team in Rome is looking forward to meeting airlines and partners at the 150th IATA Slot Conference in Seattle to share new perspectives and collaborations as the world opens up.