ITA Airways is set to enhance its North American service by offering flights to four destinations starting in November 2024. The airline will operate routes from its hub in Rome (FCO) to San Francisco (SFO) and Washington D.C. (IAD) beginning in January 2025. Additionally, ITA plans to introduce flights to Chicago (ORD) and Toronto (YYZ) starting March 30, 2025 [cae51231]. Currently, ITA Airways operates 30 weekly flights to the US, which is expected to increase to 63 by June 2025, following its merger with Lufthansa [ecf8c7f5]. This expansion is part of Lufthansa's strategy to enhance competition in the Italian market, as Italy is recognized as a significant market for air travel [ecf8c7f5].
Currently, ITA Airways operates 14 weekly flights from FCO to New York (JFK), which will reduce to 12 flights between January 13 and March 2, 2025. The airline also provides one daily flight from FCO to Miami (MIA), which will increase to nine weekly flights on March 1, 2025. Other routes include six weekly flights to Boston (BOS) and Los Angeles (LAX) [cae51231]. For its U.S. routes, ITA Airways utilizes the Airbus A330-900neo and A330-200 for flights to JFK, MIA, and BOS, while the A350-900 is designated for the LAX route. The airline currently operates 11 A330-900neos and 5 A330-200s in its fleet [cae51231].
ITA Airways was established in 2020 following the collapse of Alitalia and became a member of the SkyTeam alliance on October 29, 2021. The airline's acquisition by Lufthansa is still pending, with negotiations ongoing due to price disputes, although the European Commission approved the deal on July 3, 2024 [cae51231]. Lufthansa's CEO Carsten Spohr emphasized the strategic importance of ITA's hub in Rome for diversifying routes and enhancing Lufthansa's overall network [ecf8c7f5].