ITA Airways (AZ, Rome Fiumicino) is considering adding new long-haul routes as it plans to achieve profitability in 2027, chief executive officer Joerg Eberhart said in the interview with the Corriere della Sera daily. The airline is evaluating five new long-haul routes, mainly to North America.
ITA is also keen on starting new services to Asia, but is facing difficulties due to the closure of the Russian airspace. «If we were to fly over the country [Russia] again, there would be some interesting destinations in Asia,» Eberhart said.
ITA Airways plans to grow its long-haul network mainly from its hub in Rome Fiumicino as it believes that starting widebody operations in Milan Malpensa is currently not viable. Eberhart explained that ITA Airways needs to offer a robust feeder network out of Milan Malpensa if it wants to compete in the long-haul market in this city. «This is not feasible for a carrier like ours that only has a hundred or so planes,» he added.
The CEO noted that the airline is also seeking better fleet utilisation, especially for narrowbody jets that were hit with engine issues. Eberhart said ITA Airways must strengthen two out of three daily flight waves at Rome Fiumicino by offering more long-haul connections. However, the carrier would need additional widebody aircraft if it wanted to grow in this market segment significantly…
