The airline will soon add an extra daily service in April 2024, bringing the total number of weekly frequencies to 31 in the peak of the summer season. This rotation will also be operated with an Airbus A220-100.
ROME / LONDON – ITA Airways is expanding operations in the UK market in the summer season by launching a new nonstop flight between Rome–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and London City Airport (LCY) already started since March 31st, 2024.
The route will be served by the Airbus A220-100 with 12 weekly frequencies.
LCY is London’s most central airport and known internationally for punctuality, speed of service and smooth customer experience. Passengers will benefit from the proximity of both hubs by flying to-and-from London’s and Rome’s most centrally located airports. In addition, travelers can enjoy seamless connecting flights from ITA Airways’ main hub of Rome Fiumicino to the domestic and intercontinental network, including Mediterranean destinations (in Italy, Spain and Greece) and those in South America including Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Buenos Aires.
Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways and CEO Volare, said: “We are proud to launch this new direct service between Rome Fiumicino and London City, which is an airport of reference for business traffic but also very interesting for leisure flows. The UK is confirmed as an increasingly strategic market for ITA Airways, offering travelers 100 weekly flights between the UK and Italy in the current summer season.” The new connection follows ITA Airways introducing a four daily service between Milan Linate and London City earlier this year.
As a further confirmation of the strategic importance of the UK, starting June, operations to the British market from Rome Fiumicino will be completed with an additional connection to Gatwick Airport with 7 weekly frequencies. This move will bring to 100 the number of weekly flights between the UK and Italy available to Italian and British traveler.
The Airbus A220-100 is the smallest jet liner in the ITA Airways fleet, and it is particularly suitable for shorthaul connections thanks to its efficiency and comfort standards. It features innovative elements which make the flying experience comfortable, relaxing, and enjoyable for passengers, thanks to wider seats, new custom lighting, larger windows, and roomier overhead bins. The cabin, with interiors designed by Walter De Silva, offers 125 seats and is configured in Business and Economy service classes, with Safran leather recliners in blue and cabin beige tones, equipped with USB power outlets. The A220-100 is also provided with a Wi-Fi connectivity system through which travelers can use packages modulated to suit their needs: messaging, mailing and streaming.
The new aircraft also contributes to ITA Airways’ commitment to sustainability, a key pillar for the company, thanks to its fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions per seat which are 25 percent lower than previous generation short-haul aircraft.
ITA Airways: Board of Directors approves draft financial statements for 2023
ITA Airways also announced that the Board of Directors (“BoD”), at its meeting held on 26 March 2024, approved the draft financial statements for 2023, which show a net loss of 5 million euro,
and include the key highlights presented below:
- Revenue: 2,4 bn euros
- EBITDA: +70 m euros
- Cash: 450 m euros
- Net equity: 750 m euros
The company has therefore reached operational break-even one year earlier than forecasted in the Business Plan, thanks to its very positive operational and sales performance, and has achieved a better net result than expected.
In 2023, ITA Airways operated about 124,000 scheduled flights and carried about 15 million passengers (+47% vs 2022), taking advantage of the recovery in air traffic that began in the second half of the year and increasing its market share, particularly in the domestic sector. Overall, the company’s total revenue in 2023 will be 2.4 billion euros (+58% vs 2022), of which 2.2 billion euros will come from passenger traffic (+67% compared to 2022).
The results for the year 2023 are the outcome of the considerable commitment of the staff of ITA Airways, who have provided a decisive contribution to the complex transition from start-up to the development and consolidation of the company’s operations.
The early months of 2024 have confirmed this positive trend, with flight operations boasting 99,9% of regularity and 88,9% of punctuality rates. In the same period, a two-month customer satisfaction index of 80,5% was also recorded, highlighting high levels of passenger satisfaction with the service.
In 2024, ITA Airways will continue to grow. More than 26 new aircraft are expected to join the fleet to reach, with the simultaneous exit of older generation aircraft, a total of 96 aircraft by the end of this year (22 widebody and 74 narrow-body). Of these, 67% are new generation aircraft.
Moreover, in the summer season, the Company will serve 57 destinations, including 16 domestic, 26 international and 15 intercontinental, with direct flights being launched from the Rome Fiumicino hub, in summer, to destinations in North America, Africa and the Middle East. In particular, a new non-stop service to Chicago will be inaugurated in April, followed by direct flights to Toronto and Riyadh in May. Flights to Accra and Kuwait City will follow in June, Dakar in July and Jeddah in August. Furthermore, during high summer, the company will fly to 11 seasonal destinations selected from among the most popular Mediterranean tourist destinations, including Greece, Spain, Croatia and the Italian islands.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
