Summary
- ITA Airways expands its Saudi Arabian network with the launch of a new route between Rome and Jeddah.
- The airline’s A321neo fleet offers three cabin classes, providing a comfortable travel experience for passengers.
- Flights will operate three times a week to enhance commercial and cultural exchanges between Italy and the Arabian Peninsula.
ITA Airways has inaugurated its new service between Rome and Jeddah, the second Saudi Arabian destination in its network. The airline’s modern A321neo fleet, featuring three cabin classes, will serve the thrice-weekly route.
ITA celebrates new Jeddah route
The inaugural flight departed Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) on Friday just after 15:00 local time, arriving at Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) at 21:10. The flight was met with a traditional water cannon salute, along with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by several local dignitaries and ITA officials.
Photo: ITA Airways
Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, commented,
“Operated with the state-of-the-art A321neo, this new flight will expand the medium-haul network and enhance commercial and cultural exchanges between the Arabian Peninsula and Italy, while also providing connections with our array of destinations accessible via our Rome Fiumicino hub.”
ITA is a relative newcomer to Saudi Arabia, having launched its first destination, Riyadh, in June. The airline currently flies to King Khalid International Airport (RUH) five times a week (all days except Tue and Sat), also with its A321neo aircraft. After announcing the new Jeddah route in January, it had initially planned to launch this October but brought it forward by a couple of months.
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The schedule
The airline will operate three weekly flights on the following schedule (all times local):
|
Route |
Departure Time |
Arrival Time |
Days |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jeddah (JED) – Rome (FCO) |
03:30 |
07:00 |
Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays |
|
Rome (FCO) – Jeddah (JED) |
15:05 |
21:10 |
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays |
Photo: ITA Airways
As per Cirium data, ITA will offer over 2,600 weekly seats between Italy and Saudi Arabia this summer. Given the latter’s increasing prominence as a tourist destination, demand should be robust for tourists flying either way, while the route will also attract plenty of business travel.
Irene Buongiorno, Vice Consul General of Italy in Jeddah, noted,
“It truly is a testimony of the friendship between the two countries, which not only is rooted in a deep historic relationship, but is further developing the commercial friendship with expanding opportunities.”
What’s it like onboard an ITA A321neo?
ITA is in the process of an ambitious fleet renewal program, with the airline inducting new Airbus narrowbodies and widebodies in the A220, A320neo-family and A330neo. It currently has six A321neos which can seat a total of 165 passengers – 12 in business, 12 in premium economy, and 141 in economy (of which 12 seats are ‘Comfort Economy’).
The aircraft’s interior was designed by famed Italian car designer Walter de Silva and features Airbus’ ‘Airspace Cabin’. Amenities onboard include 4K touchscreen inflight entertainment (IFE) systems, measuring 17.3” in business), 15.6” in premium economy and 13.3” in economy.
ITA’s A321neo debuted in December and is deployed on several of the airline’s international routes, including flights to Brussels, Cairo, Madrid and Paris. The Italian flag carrier will be flying to 57 destinations – and another 12 seasonal airports – this summer, with recent network additions including Chicago, Dakar and Toronto. It will also be launching more enviable destinations during the winter season, such as direct flights to Dubai and Bangkok.
