ITA Airways unveiled two significant North American routes to be launched in 2024, with plans to fly from Rome to both Chicago and Toronto.
From April 7, 2024, the Italian carrier will operate 6X-weekly flights between Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which will become the seventh U.S. airport to which ITA will fly. The service will increase to daily from June 2024.
From May 1, 2024, ITA will begin service between FCO and Toronto Pearson International Airport. The route will start with a 6X-weekly frequency, rising to daily flights in June.
“There are important plans to expand the intercontinental network … in the summer of 2024, with a focus on North America,” Emiliana Limosani, ITA’s chief commercial officer, says in a statement.
Other ITA routes to be added for the northern hemisphere 2024 summer season include flights from FCO to: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (launching May 2024); Accra, Ghana, and Kuwait (starting June 2024); and Dakar, Senegal (commencing July 2024).
ITA operates a fleet of 79 Airbus aircraft, which includes 11 A320neos, seven A220-300s, five A330-900s and six A350-900s. The carrier expects to take delivery of its first A321neo by the end of the year.
The airline says it carried 11 million passengers in the first nine months of 2023, with an average load factor of 80%.
During the 2023 summer, ITA opened new routes to San Francisco and Washington Dulles from FCO. ITA already operated to Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York John F. Kennedy.
The carrier previously announced plans to launch service from FCO to Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 29, adding to current ITA South American routes connecting FCO with Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Sao Paulo.