The first ITA Airways direct flight from Rome-Fiumicino to Malè (Maldives) is departing tomorrow, and will be operated with the company's flagship, the A-350 aircraft.

To meet the expected demand, the new connection will have a variable number of weekly frequencies: from twice weekly, on Saturdays and Sundays (on 17, 18 December and from 28 January to 25 March), to three weekly frequencies (from 21 to 25 December and from 19 to 22 January), to four weekly frequencies (from 26 December to 1 January and from 11 to 15 January), and, to five weekly frequencies (from 2 to 8 January). Departure from Rome-Fiumicino airport is at 10:15 pm with arrival at Velana - Malè International Airport at 11:25 am, local time. The flight from Malè is scheduled from 18 December 2022 to 15 April 2023, with departure at 1:25 pm local time and arrival in Rome-Fiumicino at 7:30/7:45 pm.

The flight will therefore be operated until 15 April 2023, allowing Italian holidaymakers to choose the Maldives also for their Easter holidays. In addition, travelers flying on the new route will also be conveniently connected with the flights from major European airports thanks to ITA Airways' extensive network. 

"We are proud and excited to inaugurate today ITA Airways flights from Rome-Fiumicino to Malè, a new intercontinental connection which launches just a few days after the opening of the direct flights to Tokyo and Delhi" said Emiliana Limosani, ITA Airways Chief Commercial Officer and CEO Volare. "This connection aims at further developing our network by identifying destinations of greatest interest and with the highest potential not only for the final customer but also for business partners, tour operators and travel agencies. ITA Airways passengers will also be travelling to the Maldives with convenient connections not only from Italy but from all over Europe".

"We look forward to welcoming the Italian flagship carrier to the Maldives once again and we are confident that the increase in direct connectivity will boost arrivals during the holiday and winter season", said Thoyyib Mohamed, CEO of Visit Maldives. "Italy has always been one of our key markets, one of historical importance for the Maldivian tourism industry. Tourists from Italy were in fact the first to visit the Maldives when we started tourism development exactly 50 years ago and, today, we are really excited about this direct connection between the two Countries. Currently, Italy is the 5th market in terms of volume of arrivals with over 80,000 visitors (5.4% of the total market share)". 

The carrier is thus expanding its intercontinental network, looking out over the Indian Ocean, and responding to the increasingly strong customers’ demand for one of the most sought-after destinations in world tourism - the Maldives. This new intercontinental connection joins the eight already operated by the airline with direct flights to New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, and New Delhi. 

All the new ITA Airways flights can be purchased on its website, or through the company's call center, travel agencies and airport ticket offices.