Rome’s Fiumicino airport is set to become the gateway to continental Europe with the first direct flight from Australia in the history of civil aviation. Qantas, Australia's leading airline, will launch the unprecedented direct service between Italy and Australia from 23 June 2022. The three weekly Rome-Sydney flights, at 15 hours and 45 minutes and all with a stopover in Perth the westernmost point of the Australian continent, will cut three hours off the regular flight time. Passengers arriving from Rome will be able to choose whether to continue on the same aircraft to Sydney or to start their Australian stay by visiting Perth.

Three classes and 236 seats on board

The Qantas flights will be operated by a Boeing 787/900 Dreamliner, a new generation aircraft configured to offer services dedicated to an extended stay on board. The three-class cabin will have 42 seats in Business Class, 28 in Premium Economy and 166 in Economy for a total of 236 seats.

Connecting flights to European and Italian cities

The strategic decision to serve Rome as the first and only point in continental Europe is the result of a long collaboration between Qantas and Rome’s Fiumicino airport operator Aeroporti di Roma. From the Eternal City Qantas will connect passengers to the main European destinations including Athens, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Nice, Madrid, Paris and to 15 cities in Italy such as Florence, Milan and Venice thanks to agreements with partner airlines operating at the airport.

“Australia is a friendly, safe and attractive tourist destination”

"Once the borders reopened - said Alan Joyce, CEO of Qantas Group - we noticed an immediate and strong demand for new destinations. After the restrictions of recent years now is the ideal time for Qantas to boost its international network and explore new market opportunities. Australia enjoys a global reputation as a friendly, safe and attractive tourist destination, and by flying direct from Rome visitors will be able to experience the Australian Spirit even before they arrive.

Facilitating the growth of passenger and cargo traffic

"Today we celebrate Italy as the first country ever to have a direct flight from Australia to mainland Europe,” said Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma. “In 2019 some 500,000 passengers flew between Australia and Italy with intermediate stopovers. This important milestone will further facilitate the growth of passenger and cargo traffic between the two countries.”   

Ryanair is gearing up for next summer with the Irish low-cost airline launching 47 new routes from Italy to numerous European destinations. Leading the traffic recovery in Europe Ryanair plans to contribute to accelerated growth in both traffic and employment over the next five years. Having added 560 new routes and opened 14 bases in the past 12 months, the Irish airline now looks ahead to the slew of new routes for Summer 2022.

The airline’s 65 new B737-8200 Gamechanger aircraft

The airline is also bringing 65 new B737-8200 Gamechanger aircraft into its fleet. These planes offer 4% more seats, consume 16% less fuel and provide a 40% reduction in noise emissions, making next summer's operations the most sustainable and environmentally friendly to date. In addition to its green credentials, Ryanair has launched electric handling at 11 major European airports, a significant investent in its sustainable operations.

Ryanair’s 47 new Italian routes 

This is the long and exciting list of Ryanair’s new routes from its Italian bases: Turin to Agadir, Billund and Zadar; Brindisi to Stockholm; Bari to Billund and Lisbon; Rome Fiumicino to Stockholm, Cuneo, Kefalonia, Figari, Gran Canaria, Menorca, Preveza-Aktion and Tangiers.  Comiso to Venice; Cuneo to Rome Fiumicino; Venice to Stockholm, Comiso, Crotone, Gdansk, Helsinki, Katowice, Lisbon, Madrid, Minorca, Marseilles, Nuremberg, Odessa, Cork, Santander, Toulouse, Trapani and Vienna.  Verona to Porto and Palma; Perugia to Barcelona, Bucharest and Vienna; Catania to Brussels Charleroi and London Luton.  Cagliari to Palma; Trapani to Billund, Venice and Warsaw Modlin; Lamezia to Vienna; Crotone to Venice; Rimini to Vienna; Milan Bergamo to Madeira and Newcastle; Pisa to Zadar and Paphos.

Starting 8 April 2022 Volotea’s new flight will take off for Paris Charles De Gaulle four times weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) during the busiest time of year with a total of 40,000 seats available during the summer months. The introduction of the new flight strengthens the link between Verona and France;  during Summer 2021 the Spanish carrier transported over 277,000 passengers to Verona’s airport (+ 25% compared to 2020), with an overall offer of over 321,000 seats on sale.

More options for Venetians and foreign visitors 

"From next April Verona and France will be closer thanks to this new Volotea flight. Venetian passengers will have many options at competitive prices - said Valeria Rebasti, Volotea’s Country Manager Italy & South-eastern Europe – and thanks to the new route we will also increase the number of foreign tourists who want to visit Verona and the beautiful Veneto region, thus supporting and boosting the local economy.”

Wizz Air has positioned a new Airbus A321neo at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, its fifth aircraft there, and has launched 13 new routes: Madrid, Menorca, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Lyon, Kefalonia, Rhodes, Preveza, Basel, Turku, Podgorica, Belgrade and Yerevan. 

Wizz Air’s Italian network has 18.3 million seats on 283 routes to 36 countries 

This investment confirms the strategic nature of the Italian market and the diversification of Wizz Air’s network which will total 4.3 million seats yearly on 57 routes to 28 countries from Rome, and 18.3 million seats on 283 routes to 36 countries from Italy in total. The growth of the airline's base at Rome’s Fiumicino will also create over 40 new jobs with the airline, and a further 375 new jobs in the industry.

Ivan Bassato George Michalopoulos

The average age of the Wizz Air fleet is 5.1 years

«We are thrilled to offer more routes than any other airline from Rome Fiumicino, adding the fifth aircraft to our base – said the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, George Michalopoulos - we have also introduced 13 new routes to popular leisure destinations, including the Greek islands and the Balearics.” Wizz Air operates the youngest, most efficient and sustainable fleet of aircraft in Italy, with an average age of only 5.1 years.

“Fiumicino is the first airport in Italy with Sustainable Aviation Fuel”

«The developments announced today for next summer once again confirm the strategic nature of our market - added Ivan Bassato, Chief Aviation Officer, Aeroporti di Roma - we represent one of Europe’s main markets and we want to be prepared for the great changes ahead, starting with sustainability. We announced the Net Zero 30 goal, and Fiumicino is the first airport in Italy to make SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) available.”

Italo’s winter timetable will take effect from 12 December with important news,  relating both to the network and to routes. All changes are in full compliance with anti-Covid rules and procedures, making available to passengers and employees all the safety measures necessary for their journey while recommending the utmost caution.

Boosting many lines in the North  

With the new timetable Italo’s daily routes will be 116 against the current 104. The big news is Italo’s arrival in Genoa, with the Ligurian city joining the network with 2 daily non-stop services to Milan, Rome and Naples. Another significant novelty is the new Udine-Milan service. Daily services along the North East Venice-Milan route will be increased from 14 to 16 and two of these will be extended to Treviso, Conegliano, Pordenone and Udine.

More services to the Garda area

The remaining 14 services on the Venice-Milan line have been confirmed, but departure times have been optimized with more services on Lake Garda. In fact two trains will added for Desenzano bringing the total to nine, while for Peschiera they remain the same. There are also 32 non-stop trains between Rome and Milan, one every hour with reinforcements during peak hours. And on the Turin/Milan-Naples/Salerno line Italo confirms its 26 daily departures (one every hour) thanks to new times.

An extended network in the South 

Some of the connections between Venice and Rome are being extended to Naples and Salerno, and in the last year and a half Italo has significantly expanded its network to the South. Daily services to Puglia will go from four to six with trains stopping in Caserta, Benevento, Foggia, Barletta, Trani, Bisceglie and Molfetta. Finally, the Calabria lines go from four to six a day.

Binter ended its first Italian summer, from Turin and Venice airports, with 5,000 passengers, and confirms its winter schedule from Turin to Gran Canaria. There will be two weekly flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays, departing Caselle at 16.20 and arriving in Gran Canaria at 19.40 (local time) in the winter months.

Flights on Marco Polo Venice change days and times taking effect 1 December. However two weekly flights are confirmed on Mondays and Fridays, departing Venice at 16:25 and arriving in Gran Canaria at 20:05 (local time).

Passengers fly in the comfort of the new Embraer E195-E2, the quietest, cleanest and most efficient single-aisle jet aircraft, that offers more space between seats as well as high-quality benefits for all passengers, including a gourmet aperitif during the flight.

Connecting flights to the other Canary Islands and to Dakar

Binter also offers connecting flights to the other Canary Islands at no extra charge, reaching places such as Lanzarote, Tenerife and Fuerteventura to enjoy the winter discovering the variety of landscapes, activities and cultural beauties of the entire archipelago. From 1 December passengers departing from Venice will also be able to fly to Dakar. The new flight schedule will allow them to touch down in the Senegalese capital on the same day with a stopover in Gran Canaria.