KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has signed a codeshare agreement with
new Italian flag carrier ITA Airways (Italia Trasporto Aereo).
ITA Airways launched flights in October the day after former
national airline Alitalia ceased flying and closed its doors after 75 years in
operation. The new carrier offers a number of domestic routes as well as flights from its bases in Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate to around 45
international destinations. It plans to operate 89 routes by 2025.
The agreement with KLM means ITA Airways passengers can book
tickets for KLM flights at the connecting airports of Rome Fiumicino and
Amsterdam Schiphol, and vice versa.
KLM said the agreement will allow its passengers to book
flights to eight new destinations in Southern Europe via Rome, including
Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Bari, Brindisi, Lamezia Terme and Trieste in Italy,
as well as to Malta and Tirana, Albania. KLM currently offers 18 daily flights between
Amsterdam and Milan (Malpensa and Linate), Turin, Genoa, Rome, Venice,
Florence, Bologna and Catania.
Pieter Elbers, president and CEO of KLM, said: ¡°It¡¯s really
good news that KLM and ITA Airways have been able to reach an agreement so
quickly, enabling them to work together on European routes. Italy is an
important market for the airline industry in Europe, both for business and
leisure travellers.¡±
ITA has signed a number of codeshare agreements since its
launch, including Etihad Airways, Air Serbia, TAP Air Portugal and Air Europa.
The carrier was made a member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance shortly
after it began operations in October.