Ita, the agreement with Enit for a new direct Rome-Toronto flight is underway
Italy opens up to new direct markets with Canada to amplify the scope of international flows and the tourist offer. Enit supports ITA Airways, the national airline of reference, in the new connections with Canada with the first direct flight between Rome Fiumicino and Toronto.
Present at the ribbon cutting ceremony at Terminal E of Leonardo da Vinci airport in Fiumicino, Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, Ivan Bassato Chief Aviation Officer of Aeroporti di Roma, Ivana Jelinic CEO of ENIT , the Honorable Gianluca Caramanna, Deputy and Advisor to the Minister of Tourism, Giovanni Maria De Vita, Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Coordinator of the “Roots Tourism” Project, Sameena Qureshi, Minister Advisor to the Canadian Embassy in Italy and Mario Baccini, Mayor of the Municipality of Fiumicino.
“The opening of ITA Airways connections between Italy and Canada responds to the high demand for mobility between the two countries, also by virtue of the significant presence of Canadian citizens of Italian origins – declares Emiliana Limosani Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO Volare – With our direct flight we expect to transport up to 2 million Italian-Canadian passengers who travel between the two countries every year. Furthermore, the connection will allow our passengers to have access not only to point-to-point traffic, but also to reach other destinations within both countries, thus combining tourism and business trips – adds the CCO – confirming once again ITA Airways’ commitment to providing optimal travel solutions to its Customers. The new route is already seeing excellent results in terms of bookings, reaching over 30,000 passengers in the period from May to September”.
“An important connection that allows us to strengthen collaboration with a strategic market. Canada is one of the countries with one of the highest presences of Italians abroad in the world and therefore has an impact on the development of return tourism. The new ITA Airways Rome – Toronto flight therefore represents another step in Italy’s tourism development, offering a unique opportunity to expand and diversify tourist flows to our country. Thanks to direct air connections to new destinations, we can welcome an increasingly varied and international audience, promoting our rich cultural, food and wine and landscape offering effectively and on a global scale. This new air service not only facilitates access to the Italian territory, but also contributes to strengthening our competitive position in the international tourism panorama, positioning Italy as a first choice destination for travelers from all over the world” declares Ivana Jelinic Ad Enit .
“We consider the connection launched today by ITA Airways with Toronto to be fundamental, especially in the year dedicated to ‘roots tourism’ – declared the Hon. Gianluca Caramanna, Deputy and Advisor to the Minister of Tourism – It is not only a strategic tourism partnership for the Italian communities in Canada, to which we allow them to have a direct connection, but also for the great interest shown by Canadians in our nation”.
The newly launched connection operates with six weekly frequencies which will become daily from June to September and will move to five weekly frequencies in October. In May the timetable includes departure from Rome Fiumicino at 10.15am with landing in Toronto at 2.05pm (local time), while the flight from Toronto leaves at 4.40pm (local time) and arrives in Rome Fiumicino at 7.15am the next day.
The inaugural flight was operated with the new, next-generation, technologically advanced Airbus A330-900. To ensure an exceptional travel experience, the A330-900 features a three-class layout featuring 30 seats in Business Class, with seats that fully lie flat into a bed, 24 seats in Premium Economy and 237 seats in Economy , of which 36 are dedicated to Comfort Economy: all to guarantee a comfortable and pleasant journey for passengers.
The direct Rome Fiumicino – Riyadh flight will be inaugurated on 2 June 2024, followed by Accra, Dakar, Kuwait City and Jeddah, which will bring the destinations operated in Summer 2024 to a total of 57, of which 16 national, 26 international and 15 intercontinental . Furthermore, in the summer peak the Company will fly to 11 additional seasonal destinations, selected among the most popular Mediterranean tourism destinations, including Greece, Spain, Croatia and the Italian islands, reachable with direct flights from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate.