Etihad and Alitalia Increase Frequency on Rome-Abu Dhabi Route

Codeshare partners Alitalia and Etihad Airways are set to increase their direct Rome-Abu Dhabi services from four flights per week to five.

Effective 13 June 2013, Alitalia will operate the increased frequency Rome-Abu Dhabi return flights using a new 230-seat Airbus A330 aircraft.

The flights will operate on an enhanced split schedule, ensuring maximum connectivity over each airline’s hub.

The updated schedule is timed to coincide with seamless connections in Abu Dhabi and Rome to and from cities in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

In preparation for the extra Rome-Abu Dhabi services, Alitalia customers already have greater onward codeshare connectivity options via Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub. This includes flights to Bahrain, Bangkok, Colombo, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Kuala Lumpur, the Maldives, Melbourne, Muscat, Nairobi, the Seychelles, Singapore and Sydney.

At the same time, Etihad Airways has extended its onward codeshare connections over Alitalia’s Rome Fiumicino hub to now comprise Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Bucharest, Budapest, Frankfurt, Geneva, Madrid, Malaga, Malta, Milan, Munich, Sofia, Tirana, Venice, Vienna and Zurich.

“We are very pleased with the strengthening of the commercial partnership with Etihad Airways and with the traffic results of Alitalia’s flight between Rome and Abu Dhabi. In over four months from the beginning of the connection, Alitalia has transported more than 17,000 passengers on the route,” said Giancarlo Schisano, Alitalia Deputy General Director Business.  “The success of the flight is also due to the possibility afforded to Alitalia passengers to travel beyond Abu Dhabi to many codeshare destinations across Australia, South East Asia, the Indian subcontinent, the Gulf States and South Africa with Etihad Airways.”