It's Venice-Abu Dhabi the first new route inaugurated by Alitalia since the start of operations on 1 January 2015, after Etihad Airways entered with a 49% stake in the capital of the Company.
The new daily connection was presented today to the business world, to the Veneto institutions and to the press by the President of Alitalia Luke of Montezemolo and by the Chief Executive Officer, Silvano Cassano, together with the President of SAVE, Enrico Marchi and with Peter Baumgartner, the Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, Alitalia's strategic and codeshare partner who will add his own "EY" code to the flight.
Alitalia strengthens its presence in the airports of the North East bringing to 89 weekly connections from the airports of Venice (64) and Verona (25). From Venice alone, Alitalia will offer around six hundred thousand seats in the summer air transport season (March-October) with direct connections, also through partners, to Rome, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Paris, Amsterdam, Moscow and Tirana.
The new connections with Abu Dhabi further strengthen Alitalia's intercontinental offer, allowing passengers departing from the North East to reach not only the Arab Emirates, but to continue, thanks to the global network of Etihad Airways. to 30 destinations in the Middle East (Bahrain, Muscat, Kuwait, Dubai and Al Ain), Africa (Johannesburg, Nairobi, Khartoum), Indian Subcontinent (Mumbai, Kochi, Delhi, Bangalore, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka, Malé, Seychelles, Colombo ), Far East (Beijing, Seoul, Phuket, Chengdu, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta) and Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth).
Luke of Montezemolo, President of Alitalia, declared: “We are entering a phase of great importance focused on increasing the offer of key destinations in Europe and in the world – Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Abu Dhabi -. For the launch of the first new intercontinental destination, we chose Venice for its enormous potential to attract tourists from the Middle East and beyond, thanks to the Etihad network. Our work continues intensely. All the people of Alitalia are involved in the ambitious program to relaunch the Company”.
Silvano Cassano, Chief Executive Officer of Alitalia, declared: “Market supervision is an essential element for Alitalia's success. Veneto is the second richest region in Italy and the North East is one of the great engines of Europe. Connections with the Indian subcontinent and the Far East have been in the hands of Alitalia's competitors for too many years. This will no longer be the case, our strength, with Etihad, allows us to offer destinations, frequencies, connections and services that are second to none."
peter baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Through codeshare agreements, Etihad Airways and Alitalia are offering travelers new possibilities for traveling in and out of Italy, unmatched in scale and reach. The launch of new Alitalia connections from Venice is today another important step connecting the country, not only to Abu Dhabi, but also to destinations in the Gulf region, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Asia and Australia. We have already had a positive market response and are delighted to codeshare these flights.”
Enrico Marchi, President of SAVE, said: “For the Venice airport, the new Alitalia flight to Abu Dhabi represents a new strength, as part of the development strategy for intercontinental flights that SAVE has been successfully pursuing for many years. We are certain that Alitalia with Etihad Airways will be able to develop the opportunities offered by a strong and lively market such as that of Venice and the North East, expanding its network both in Europe and in the long-haul one".
The new flight Venice-Abu Dhabi will start on 29 March 2015. At the same time Alitalia will start a similar flight to the capital of the United Arab Emirates from Milan Malpensa, tripling thus its offer of flights to Abu Dhabi which will reach a total of 42 weekly flights.
The first Alitalia flight to Abu Dhabi will therefore take off from Venice's "Marco Polo" airport next Sunday, March 29, at 21.55 to arrive in Abu Dhabi at 5.55 (local time) the following day.
Flights from Abu Dhabi to Venice will depart at 9.05am (local time) and arrive at “Marco Polo” at 13.35pm. The connection will be active every day and will be operated with 330-seat Airbus A250 aircraft, configured in the three Magnifica service classes (business class), Classic Plus (premium economy) and Classical (economy).
Tickets for the new Alitalia flights are already on sale on alitalia.com, by calling the Alitalia Customer Center on 89.20.10, in travel agencies and at airport ticket offices.
