Last night during a press briefing that took place in the characteristic "Mi Vida" venue in Washington DC, ITA Airways presented its new direct flight between Rome-Fiumicino and the US capital, its news for the current Summer season including a sneak preview of the Winter 2023-2024, and its collaboration, as official carrier, in the project "Imagining the Future. Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius” organized by “Confindustria”, the Association of Italian Industry. 

The new direct Rome-Washington flight, launched by ITA Airways on June 2, will initially be operated with five weekly flights, which will become daily from August 1 to cover the high season. Washington is a much-desired destination, for both leisure and business travelers, and the new service will be able to tap into the opportunities offered by the local and international business communities by providing a direct link to Italy, Europe and the entire Mediterranean Region. The new route is already proving very successful, with a great load factor on flights to both destinations. 

Moreover, ITA Airways and Washington are also bonding through Confindustria’s project "Imagining the Future. Leonardo da Vinci: In the Mind of an Italian Genius".

To celebrate the opening of Confindustria’s new headquarters in the US capital, a monographic exhibition will take place from June 20 until August 20 at the "Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library" in Washington DC, to showcase 12 drawings from the 1119 that make up Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus. ITA Airways will support the project as official carrier by transporting on ITA Airways flights, from Rome-Fiumicino’s Leonardo da Vinci airport to Washington-Dulles, the Confindustria delegation and Leonardo's works of unparalleled artistic, historical, and symbolic value.

"ITA Airways is honored to serve as a worldwide ambassador of Made in Italy. We are committed, since our birth, to representing and showcasing the best of Italian Excellence by helping to export the style and image of Italy, internationally recognized as the cradle of culture and art. In the light of this natural inclination and mission of ours, we are proud to have been chosen by Confindustria as Official Carrier of the event held to mark the opening of their new office in Washington" said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, adding. "Our Company feels privileged to be a part of this historic event and I also wish to highlight how our main hub is aptly named after Leonardo Da Vinci, a genius recognized worldwide".

Washington is only the first step in ITA Airways’ planned network expansion, which, for 2023, features major investments in the intercontinental market, with 3 new destinations from Rome-Fiumicino, besides Washington, to San Francisco from July 1 and Rio de Janeiro in October. The new long-haul flights represent a key pillar of the company’s overall strategy, because besides generating revenue they also have a knock-on effect on short-haul operations, helping to increase the intercontinental network capacity twofold. 

The United States is ITA Airways’ number one international market and the most strategic, after Italy, as well as the country with the largest number of citizens with Italian origins. Therefore, direct flights from North America to Italy are not only itineraries for leisure and business travel but also a means of reaching out to and connecting with the broader Italian community in the US.

With direct flights connecting Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Malpensa to New York, Miami, Boston, Los Angeles and Washington, ITA Airways aims to become the preferred carrier between North America and Italy and, via Rome, to the rest of Europe and the Mediterranean region. Moreover, with the new direct flights to and from San Francisco, the Company will operate 122 weekly roundtrip flights between North America and Italy in the height of the Summer season. Thanks to the codeshare agreement with Delta, ITA Airways customers will be able to access more than 100 domestic destinations through the US airline's domestic hubs, with 40 destinations served through New York-"JFK" and an equally significant number of connections from Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, which can meet the needs of most business and leisure travellers. ITA Airways’ operations in South America are also of great importance, given the historical ties between Italy and this Country because of Italian migration. Rio de Janeiro will become the second destination in Brazil, after São Paulo, and the third in South America with Buenos Aires.

ITA Airways' intercontinental network now offers 12 destinations, 6 in North America (New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Washington and San Francisco), 3 in South America (Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo), and 3 in Asia (Tokyo, New Delhi and Malè), providing an extensive range of flight options that gives passengers the opportunity to travel the world without ever forgetting their roots.

In terms of new contents for the Summer season, beginning June 21, the business class menu on board all ITA Airways intercontinental flights departing from Italy will be signed by Chefs Alfonso and Ernesto Iaccarino of the 2-Michelin starred Don Alfonso 1890 Restaurant. Their cuisine mirrors a new philosophy rooted in the centuries-old food culture and traditions of the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast, while the new menu celebrates the Summer, paying tribute to Italian cuisine and testifying their love for the Mediterranean food heritage. The two Chefs focus on professional skills and on the fundamental role of tradition in the process of creating innovation as the best vehicle for revealing to the world the culture and values of this specific region in Italy. This approach emphasizes how food, just like a work of art, can be seen and appreciated as yet another expression of the heritage of that region. 

The menu features four signature dishes: “Citrus lobster salad, yogurt and pink pepper”, “Sorrentine Peninsula handmade Strascinati with Neapolitan tomato ragout”, “Rediscovering the rock fish Amalfi Coast Acqua Pazza style” and “Traditional lemon Delizia” for dessert, which are designed to provide an all-round culinary experience based on the meticulously crafted quality and seasonality of the sourced ingredients and a special focus on combining flavors, aromas and colors. These recipes will enhance and upscale the business-class menu, which includes a range of other delicious Italian dishes passengers may choose from.

Tickets for all the company's flights can be purchased at ita-airways.com, at travel agencies and airport ticket offices, and via its call-center.