ITA Airways inaugurated connections with Saudi Arabia yesterday, Sunday 2 June, with the first direct flight between Rome Fiumicino and Riyadh. The newly launched connection operates with five weekly frequencies, departing from Rome Fiumicino every day except Tuesday and Saturday at 3.25pm and landing in Riyadh at 9.25pm (local time) and departing from Riyadh every day except Wednesday and Sunday at 1.45am (local time) and arrive in Rome Fiumicino at 6.35am.
The opening of the new Rome – Riyadh flight represents an important product for the company, which thus inaugurates connections with the Arabian peninsula, a market in which the new Rome-Fiumicino – Kuwait City (1 July) and Rome Fiumicino flights will also soon be opened – Jeddah (1 August). The opening of connections also for Accra and Dakar will bring the destinations operated in Summer 2024 to a total of 57, of which 16 national, 26 international and 15 intercontinental.
Present at the ribbon cutting ceremony at Terminal E of Leonardo da Vinci airport in Fiumicino for ITA Airways Tommaso Fumelli, VP Italy Sales and Pierfrancesco Carino, VP International Sales; Carlo Baldocci, Plenipotentiary Minister serving at the General Directorate for Political Affairs and Ambassador designated in Riyadh; Sami Ibrahim Al Yahya, Head of Office of HRH the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Italy; Fabio Nicolai, Deputy Director General of ENAC; Raffaello Biselli, Councilor for Commerce and Markets, productive activities and Suap of the Municipality of Fiumicino; Susann Kern, Country Manager Italy of Saudi Tourism Authority and Federico Scriboni, Aviation Business Development Director of Aeroporti di Roma.
“We are proud – said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways – to inaugurate our first direct flight to Riyadh and Saudi Arabia, a rapidly expanding and strategic market for ITA Airways especially for business traffic. The new connection marks a significant milestone for our company and will intensify exchanges between the Arabian Peninsula and our country. Our commitment to the Middle Eastern region will continue with the introduction of new direct flights to Kuwait City and Jeddah in July and August respectively.”
“Saudi Arabia is a rapidly expanding market – added Federico Scriboni, Aviation Business Development Director of Aeroporti di Roma – with around 200 thousand passengers transported in 2023. Fiumicino has quadrupled its traffic volumes in 2019, a growth trend confirmed in first quarter of 2024, up by +33% compared to the same period last year. The launch of ITA Airways’ new air connection to Riyadh demonstrates the growing importance of a market, with excellent prospects for further development for both the leisure and business segments”.
Delighted to welcome the new air route from Riyadh to Rome, Ayman AboAbah, CEO of Riyadh Airports Company, which manages King Khalid International Airport, said: “This is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to expand our network and strengthen our our connections with major global cities. We are excited to offer our passengers more travel options and look forward to welcoming travelers from Rome to discover the rich culture and hospitality of Riyadh. This new route is a testament to our commitment to providing a high level of service and enhancing the travel experience for our passengers.”
The new connection is operated with a new generation and technologically advanced Airbus A321neo. The A321neo is the first narrow body aircraft configured with three separate cabins: Business Class (12 seats), Premium Economy (12 seats) and Economy (141 seats of which 12 dedicated to Comfort Economy).
