(AGENPARL) – lun 05 febbraio 2024 PRESS RELEASE
ITA Airways showcases at the BIT, Borsa Internazionale del Turismo in Milan
2024 Summer Season: 56 destinations, including 16 domestic, 26 international and 14
intercontinental
Milan, February 5th, 2024 – ITA Airways participates for the second consecutive year in the BIT, Borsa
Internazionale del Turismo, from 4th to 6th of February in Milan.
ITA Airways’ stand, located in Hall 4, reflects the Company’s positioning and visual identity. The central
element of the booth’s design is the arch, a distinctive architectural structure belonging to the rich Italian
cultural heritage. In the mirror, the shape of the arch becomes a porthole, symbolizing the beginning of the
journey, as well as the opportunity to take off and discover the world from a new perspective. The
predominance of blue creates a unique and welcoming environment. There is also a bar conveying Italian
hospitality and style which are at the core of ITA Airways’ brand strategy.
At the stand, there are several desks for B2C and B2B meetings and a space dedicated to the Volare loyalty
program, where customers can get information about the program, subscribe, and take a picture at the
immersive photo booth. Volare was born two years ago and has already grown to over 1.7 million members
and more than 20 business partners from hôtellerie, mobility and finance sectors. Eight airline partners have
also joined Volare for accrual. In addition, the second half of 2023 saw the successful launch of Co-branded
cards with American Express and the opening of the Executive Reserved section, offering exclusive benefits
to top tier members.
In March, Volare will turn two years old and in the first semester of 2024 it is targeting 2 million members. In
2024 the program will double both commercial and airline partners and will enrich the Executive Reserved
content section. Two key novelties will also be unveiled during this year:
The launch of a program dedicated to children, enabling the creation of a family subscription where
young travelers can join Volare and gather points.
Executive members will continue to receive “tailor-made” offers, granting them even more value thanks
to the creation of events dedicated to subscribers in Italy and in selected foreign countries. These
invitation-only events are also ‘auction-based’ and will enable top tier members to enjoy money-can’tbuy experiences.
“In its second year at the Borsa Internazionale del Turismo, ITA Airways is proud to announce the excellent
business results achieved in 2023”, said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer ITA Airways and
CEO Volare. “Our growth goes hand in hand with the recovery of tourism, which is approaching pre-pandemic
levels. In 2023, we carried 15 million passengers – nearly 50 percent more than in 2022 – and achieved a
Regularity Index of 99.7 percent, as well as an average load factor of 79 percent, 5 p.p. more compared to
the previous year. – added the CCO – Expectations are also very encouraging for 2024, when we are
expecting a significant growth compared to 2023. This will be achieved thanks to our network expansion,
registering a 43% increase in the long-haul offer, and the launch of new direct flights from Rome Fiumicino to
Chicago, Toronto, as also to Africa and Middle East. Finally, we will continue to invest in fleet renewal, which
will count 96 aircraft by 2024 with two-thirds of new generation”.
One of the main themes of ITA Airways’ participation to the BIT is the upcoming summer season, when the
Company will operate 56 destinations, including 16 domestic, 26 international and 14 intercontinental. In
addition, during the summer peak, the airline will add 10 seasonal destinations, including 2 domestic and 8
international, selected among the most popular Mediterranean tourism destinations, namely in Greece, Spain,
Croatia and the Italian islands. These will be reachable through direct flights:
• from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate to Rhodes, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Heraklion,
Corfu, Lampedusa and Pantelleria;
• from Rome Fiumicino to Split and Kefalonia.
Below is the operating schedule of the new routes from the Rome Fiumicino hub, already announced and on
sale:
• Rome Fiumicino – Chicago from April 7, 2024, with 6 weekly frequencies becoming 7 from June and
6 in October.
• Rome Fiumicino – Toronto from May 10, 2024, with 6 weekly frequencies, becoming 7 from June to
September and 5 in October.
• Rome Fiumicino – Riyad starting May 5, 2024, with 4 weekly frequencies, rising to 5 from June.
• Rome Fiumicino – Accra starting June 6, 2024, with 3 weekly frequencies, rising to 4 from July.
• Rome Fiumicino – Kuwait City from June 7, 2024, with 3 weekly frequencies, becoming 5 from July.
• Rome Fiumicino – Jeddah from August 2024, with 3 weekly frequencies.
Confirming the excellent results of the Rome Fiumicino – Buenos Aires nonstop flight in terms of load factor in
2023, in the upcoming summer season, ITA Airways will add 2 frequencies on its route to Argentina. This will
bring to 9 the weekly frequencies between Rome and Buenos Aires and to 30 the weekly roundtrip flights to
South America, a strategic market for the Company.
Overall, capacity offered in Summer 2024 will be 24% higher than in 2023 – with a growth of 43% on the
intercontinental, of 30% on the international and of 15% on the domestic segment compared to 2023.
The new intercontinental flights to Chicago and Toronto will be operated with the Airbus A330neo and A330200 and add to ITA Airways’ connections to New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Washington, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, and New Delhi, all served from Rome
Fiumicino. Flights to Riyadh, Accra, Kuwait City and Jeddah will be operated with the Airbus A321neo.
Moreover, from March, flights between Rome Fiumicino and Tel Aviv Ben Gurion will be gradually resumed
with 3 weekly frequencies that will increase during the 2024 summer season, according to the evolution of the
geopolitical scenario.
The restart of connections between Tel Aviv and Rome was also possible thanks to cooperation with Italian
and Israeli authorities and it is strategically important for ITA Airways as it strengthens the commercial, social,
and cultural relations between the two markets.
The Company’s news for 2024 will be presented to its main trade partners during the Italy Sales roadshow
starting at the end of February and including 8 legs in major Italian cities until late March.
Significant is also the Company’s growth in the cargo sector. In 2023, ITA Airways carried about 72 million
kilograms of cargo and is targeting a 30% growth in freight for 2024, thanks to the intercontinental network
expansion and the addition of particularly important destinations in terms of cargo business such as Chicago,
Toronto, and Accra.
ITA Airways offers freight carriers a best-in-class product in terms of flight times and regularity of services to
and from the Italian market. In addition, the Company offers a wide range of transport solutions for special
products, including pharma product for which it has obtained the IATA CEIV Pharma (Center of Excellence
for Independent Validators) certification, as well as perishables, and works of art.
For press information:
Pietro Caldaroni, Head of Communication and Institutional Relations
About ITA Airways
ITA Airways is a company totally owned by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance for the exercise of business in the air transport sector. ITA
Airways aims at creating an efficient and innovative air carrier that will become a reference point in providing Italy with quality connectivity both in terms
of international destinations, thus boosting tourism and foreign trade, and within the Country, also taking advantage of the train-air integrated mobility.
ITA Airways will place the best customer service at the center of its strategy (through a strong digitization of processes that ensure a best-in-class
experience and personalized services), combined with sustainability, in its environmental (new green and technologically advanced aircraft, use of
sustainable fuels), social (equality and inclusion for a gender-neutral company) and governance (integration of sustainability into internal strategies
and processes) aspects. ITA Airways is a member of SkyTeam alliance as of October 2021.