Latest news with #ITAAirways
CairoScene
12-06-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
Saudi to Allocate 2.5 Million Airline Seats for Umrah by End of 2025
Routes from Europe, including Paris, Lyon and London, are part of a wider strategy to improve access to Madinah and Jeddah. Saudi Arabia has announced plans to allocate a total of 2.5 million airline seats for Umrah pilgrims by the end of 2025, with over 700,000 seats already utilised during the first quarter of the year. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to enhance air connectivity to the Kingdom's key pilgrimage cities, including Madinah and Jeddah, and to streamline travel for visitors from across the globe. The expansion was unveiled during the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum, held in Madinah from April 14th to the 16th, which brought together 150 exhibitors representing over 100 countries. The event focused on infrastructure, travel technologies, and Madinah's historical significance. So far in 2025, 12 airlines have joined the Kingdom's air connectivity programme, introducing 20 new international routes and adding 1.5 million seats to the network. Participating carriers include ITA Airways, British Airways, Wizz Air, and Eurowings. Several of the new connections focus on Europe. Germany's Stuttgart has been added to the growing list of cities with direct flights to Jeddah, alongside Berlin and Cologne. Transavia, the France-based carrier, will soon operate flights from Paris and Lyon. In the United Kingdom, daily flights from London's Gatwick Airport to Madinah are scheduled to begin in August, contributing 180,000 seats to the Umrah travel system. The expansion reflects Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to facilitate religious tourism and improve access to holy sites as part of Vision 2030, which seeks to increase the number of annual Umrah visitors to 30 million.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lufthansa Cargo to market capacity on ITA Airways, add Rome hub
Lufthansa Cargo in mid-June will start selling cargo capacity and handling shipments on ITA Airways, the Italian carrier in which Deutsche Lufthansa AG acquired a 41% stake in January for nearly $350 million. The deal allows Lufthansa Cargo to make Rome its cargo hub for Southern Europe. Lufthansa's cargo subsidiary will start marketing ITA cargo capacity under its own designated airway bill from Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Rome, on June 16, according to a news release on Monday. On all other routes, both airlines will initially operate under two separate airway bill numbers. Lufthansa Cargo will gradually take over the sale of ITA's belly space on all routes, following necessary regulatory approvals. The addition of ITA will increase global belly capacity available to Lufthansa Cargo customers by almost 20%, while giving them an even denser network of city pairs to choose from, the company said. Lufthansa Cargo operates 12 Boeing 777 long-haul cargo jets and four Airbus A321 converted freighters in regional service. It received a new freighter from Boeing during the first quarter. An additional six aircraft are chartered from AeroLogic, a joint venture with DHL, and operated by AeroLogic on behalf of Lufthansa Cargo. Lufthansa Cargo also manages the belly cargo for Lufthansa Group's passenger airlines, with the exception of Swiss International. 'Along with our partner ITA Airways, we are excited to offer our customers even more attractive routes, additional capacities and solutions to and from Europe as well as worldwide to meet their transportation needs. … In addition to Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Brussels, Rome will be our 5th hub that will help us offer flexible and quality solutions to our customers. Our customers will benefit from even more reliable, faster connections to and from southern Europe,' said Lufthansa Cargo CEO Ashwin Bhat. Lufthansa Group has expressed interest in increasing its share of ITA Airways. The Italian government is the airline's majority shareholder. ITA has a fleet of 99 aircraft, including 22 long-haul Airbus jets, and flies to 70 destinations around the world. Last week, Lufthansa Group made changes to Cargo's executive leadership, moving Frank Bauer from chief financial officer and labor director to chief operating officer and installing Gregor Schleussner, currently head of finance, controlling and accounting at sister airline Eurowings, as CFO and chief human resources officer, effective July 1. Lufthansa Cargo's revenue grew 21% year over year in the first quarter to $938.8 million, while adjusted earnings before interest and taxes increased to $70 million from a $24 million loss, thanks to increased yields, strong demand from China and lower costs. Click here for more FreightWaves/American Shipper stories by Eric Kulisch. RELATED READING: Lufthansa handles some cargo for ITA Airways ahead of pending deal Lufthansa Cargo bolsters China partnerships as trade grows Lufthansa Cargo introduces freighter service from Vietnam to US The post Lufthansa Cargo to market capacity on ITA Airways, add Rome hub appeared first on FreightWaves.
Al Etihad
14-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Growing Italian demand adds momentum to Abu Dhabi's visitor economy
14 May 2025 18:11 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)Etihad Airways is experiencing significant growth in travel demand between Italy and Abu Dhabi. This increase is bolstering Abu Dhabi's tourism ambitions and strengthening broader commercial and cultural ties between Italy and the Stelder, Senior Vice President of Network, Alliances, and Industry Affairs at Etihad Airways, stated, "The consistent growth we're seeing from the Italian market highlights Abu Dhabi's appeal as both a destination and a global hub. Italian travelers are responding well to our offerings, with steady demand across both leisure and business segments. This connectivity is enhancing tourism and fostering deeper ties in trade, culture, and investment."Italy has quickly become one of Etihad's fastest-growing European markets, with travel between Italy and Abu Dhabi increasing by 76% compared to 2023. This surge reflects the growing attraction of Abu Dhabi as a destination for Italian response to this sustained demand, Etihad has decided to increase flight frequencies, offering triple-daily flights between Milan Malpensa Airport and Abu Dhabi, along with double-daily flights from Rome Fiumicino Airport. This expansion provides Italian travelers with convenient options for visiting Abu additional daily flight from Milan will be operated by Etihad's new Airbus aircraft, which offers a premium experience that includes a dedicated first-class cabin, fully lie-flat business seats, high-speed Wi-Fi, and an enhanced onboard dining service. This aircraft brings Etihad's signature long-haul comfort to short- and medium-haul travel, further elevating the experience for Italian in November, Etihad will provide more than 10,000 weekly seats in each direction between Italy and Abu Dhabi, representing an 80% capacity increase compared to November 2023. The number of premium seats available will double to over 1,000 per week to meet the rising demand in this airline continues to strengthen its presence in Italy through strategic partnerships. Working with ITA Airways and Trenitalia, travelers can connect to Etihad flights from Rome and Milan from 14 domestic airports and 31 railway stations across Italy. This builds on the successful codeshare partnership with ITA Airways established in December 2021, enabling enhanced connectivity between the UAE and travelers are also embracing Etihad's Abu Dhabi Stopover program, which offers complimentary hotel stays for up to two nights, allowing visitors to explore Abu Dhabi's cultural attractions, pristine beaches, and world-class entertainment venues. Stopover bookings from the Italian market have increased by 92% since demand from the Italian market continues to grow, Etihad is well-positioned to accommodate the rising number of passengers with its current schedule. "The solid performance of our routes to Italy reflects Abu Dhabi's status as both a destination for Italian travellers and a convenient global hub," said Stelder. "This growth supports tourism while building long-term value through deeper ties with one of our most important European markets."
Wall Street Journal
05-05-2025
- Wall Street Journal
European Airlines Suspend Flights to Israel After Airport Attack
Several European airlines cancelled flights to Israel's Ben Gurion Airport after it was the target of an attack by Yemen's Houthi militia on Sunday. Germany's flagship Lufthansa LHA 1.55%increase; green up pointing triangle said Monday that flights were suspended until May 6. Italian carrier ITA Airways also suspended flights until May 6 and 'including AZ809 and AZ815 flights scheduled on May 7.'
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
European airlines reroute flights to avoid Pakistani airspace as tensions with India escalate
Live Events European carriers including Lufthansa, British Airways, SWISS, ITA Airways, and LOT Polish Airlines have begun rerouting flights to avoid Pakistani airspace, even as Pakistan had already closed certain airways to Indian carriers. The development adds further strain to international air routes amid rising regional tracking platform Flightradar24 reported that from April 30, several European airlines began altering flight paths to avoid northern Pakistani air corridors, which were declared unavailable through official Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) valid until May. On May 2, Lufthansa, ITA Airways, and LOT Polish Airlines also started diverting flights away from flights include Lufthansa's services on routes such as Munich–Delhi, Frankfurt–Mumbai, Frankfurt–Hyderabad, and Bangkok–Munich. Similarly, LOT's Warsaw–Delhi and ITA Airways' Rome–Delhi flights were seen bypassing Pakistan. These diversions have added up to an hour of extra flying time.A senior executive from a major European airline told TOI, 'We are constantly monitoring the situation. The moment India–Pakistan conflict escalates, all flights will steer clear of the conflict zones. Airlines have done their last-minute rerouting as many planes will be en route when and if the conflict escalates.'(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)Despite the trend, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines confirmed that it continues to use Pakistani airspace after evaluating its own safety protocols. 'In conducting its operations, KLM always prioritises safety of passengers and staff. Selecting safe and optimal routes is a standard part of our daily practice, and we continuously assess the safety situation... Based on current safety information, KLM and other airlines are currently flying over Pakistan,' the airline country and airline independently assesses risk when planning flight routes. If a region is considered unsafe—even in the absence of formal NOTAMs—they may choose to reroute aircraft to maintain safety.
