Italian airline ITA has launched a new non-stop route between Rome and Riyadh. Flights commenced on 2 June, ahead of other new services to the Middle East which will follow later in the summer and autumn.
Operating five times a week, flights will depart Riyadh every day except Wednesdays and Sundays, leaving in the early hours at 01:45 am and arriving in Rome at 06:35 am. The Rome to Riyadh leg is also set operate every day other than Tuesdays and Saturdays, flying out at 3:25 pm, and landing in Riyadh at 9:25 pm.
The new route will be served by the Italian flag carrier’s fleet of Airbus A321neos, configurated to welcome 141 passengers in economy and comfort economy, 12 in premium economy, and 12 passengers in business class, with the latter expected to be a particularly important strategic market segment, according to Andrea Benassi, General Manager of ITA Airways.
تعزيزاً لمستهدفات الربط الجوي وإستراتيجية الطيران الوطنية، #مطارات_الرياض تدشّن مساراً جويّاً بين #مطار_الملك_خالد الدولي بالعاصمة الرياض ومطار ليوناردو دافنشي – فيوميتشينو بروما بواقع خمس رحلات أسبوعيّاً. pic.twitter.com/dFSLJIeKDf
— مطارات الرياض (@riyadhairports) June 3, 2024
Codeshare and loyalty benefits
Marking the advent of the new service with a ceremony in Rome, ITA said that, as a result of a codeshare partnership with Saudia, customers would be able to earn and redeem frequent flyer points and other rewards across Volare and AlFursan, the airlines’ respective loyalty programmes, with Sky Elite passengers particularly spoilt.
Emiliana Limosani, ITA’s Chief Commercial Officer and Volare CEO hailed the collaboration as “a significant milestone further expanding Volare’s partnership portfolio and the offering for Members of both programs, who can accumulate and redeem points with ITA Airways and Saudia flights as well as access the benefits of the respective programs”.
Flyers making connecting flights will also be able to benefit from single ticket itineraries and arrange transit visas digitally with the Saudi Foreign Ministry to make the most of potential stopovers for up to 96 hours in the Kingdom.
Strengthening cultural and economic ties
Other new routes coming soon are Rome Fiumicino to Kuwait from July, to Jeddah from August, and to Dubai from October, as ITA continues to pursue a growth strategy that has seen it sign 37 codeshares, including other fresh agreements with AeroMexico and Emirates.
The move is strategic for Saudi Arabia too, as the Kingdom strives to diversify its economy away from oil, boosting air connectivity to more than 250 destinations, and bringing in 150 million foreign arrivals by 2030. In the words of Hazim Al-Hazmi, President of Europe & Americas at The Saudi Tourism Authority: “The new routes will significantly enhance accessibility and are expected to drive greater investments, strengthening cultural and economic ties between Italy and Saudi Arabia.”
