Alitalia re-starts direct service to India

After a gap of nine years, Italian airline Alitalia has re-started direct flights to India with service connecting Delhi and Rome to be operated every day for the whole winter season until March 24, 2018.  The daily flight service is being operated with a 250- seater Airbus 330 aircraft.  "Alitalia is flying back to India after a nine-year absence with a new direct service between Delhi and Rome operated every day for the whole winter season until March 24, 2018," the carrier said in a release.

Fabio Lazzerini, Chief Commercial Officer, Alitalia said India represents a unique opportunity to position ourselves in a country which is already becoming more and more important. "From a cultural and tourist point of view also, we have thousands of years of history... This is why we are re- investing in the country and we are back. We could have been back earlier than this but better late than never," he said.

The decision to launch this new service was taken to meet the increasing demand for flights between the two countries.

In 2015, over 4.26 lakh travellers from India arrived in Italy recording a growth of 49.7 per cent, as per official data from Italy. The new direct flights is also an important opportunity to boost trade relations between India and Italy.