Several international carriers will launch new direct flights to and from Italy this year.
Here's a breakdown of the new routes by the relevant airline.
American Airlines
Following the success of a direct Philadelphia-Naples service launched last summer, American Airlines will offer daily direct flights from Chicago O’Hare to Naples from May 6th.
The carrier has also announced it will launch new daily direct flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Venice Marco Polo from June 5th.
In addition to the new routes, American Airlines is expected to increase the frequency of its Philadelphia-Rome and Miami-Rome services to offer its "largest-ever schedule to Italy".
Delta Air Lines
Though the exact launch dates haven’t been confirmed yet, Atlanta-headquartered Delta Air Lines will open up four new direct routes to Italy next summer: New York JFK-Catania, Minneapolis-Rome, Boston-Milan and Atlanta-Naples.
United Airlines
United Airlines announced it will launch the first-ever direct route between Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and Denver International Airport from May 2nd, with the airline operating daily services in both directions until September 25th.
The airline will also launch three weekly services between Newark and Palermo from May 22nd, and new direct flights between Venice and Washington from May 23rd.
Neos
Private Italian airline Neos will launch a new direct route connecting New York JFK to Bari International Airport from June 3rd to October 15th.
Flights to Bari will depart from JFK every Tuesday at 4pm local time. Flights in the opposite direction will depart from Bari every Wednesday at 11.30am Italian time.
British Airways
British Airways will operate three weekly flights connecting London Heathrow to Rimini’s Federico Fellini airport, Emilia Romagna, from May 15th to September 27th.
Tickets will start at £131.
The British airline will also launch three weekly services from London Gatwick to Salerno, a port city on Campania’s picturesque coastline, from May 22nd.
EasyJet
British budget airline Easyjet will offer two weekly services connecting Edinburgh with Olbia, Sardinia, from May 1st.
The carrier will also launch weekly services between Palermo and Lisbon, Portugal, from June 3rd, and between Palermo and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, from June 23rd.
Volotea
Though full details haven’t been announced yet, Spanish budget airline Volotea will launch new flights from Palermo to Bilbao, Spain from April 12th and from Palermo to Heraklion, Greece, from July 8th.
Ryanair
Irish budget airline Ryanair has said it will connect Trieste with Prague, Czech Republic, with two weekly direct flights from March 30th.
The carrier will also offer two weekly services from Trieste to Lamezia Terme, Calabria, starting from the same date.
WizzAir
Hungarian airline WizzAir will open up a new direct route connecting Genoa with Poland’s capital Warsaw.
The carrier will operate three weekly flights in each direction from May 1st.
Direct flights to another eastern European destination, Budapest, will be launched from October 29th.
Ita Airways
Italy’s flag carrier Ita Airways will connect Rome Fiumicino with Tripoli, Libya, twice a week from January 12th.
What else can we expect in 2025?
British budget airline Easyjet has said it will open two new bases in Italy in 2025 – one at Milan Linate and the other at Rome Fiumicino.
Details on new flights to or from the above-mentioned airports haven’t been announced yet.
EES border checks
Besides new flight routes, the EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) is expected to come into effect at some point in 2025 after its launch was delayed once again in October amid fears of travel chaos due to unfinished infrastructure.
The EES will introduce a new electronic swipe in/swipe out border system that will digitally register travellers’ personal data, as well as their immigration status.
The requirement will apply to non-EU travellers entering the Schengen/EU area. EU/EEA citizens, including dual nationals, and non-EU nationals holding valid residency permits will be exempt. You can find full details here.
UK ETA
The EU's new border checks might be fraught with uncertainty, but UK plans to introduce an extra visa waiver have already begun and are due to be rolled out in 2025.
The UK's ETA is a £10 visa waiver that must be applied for online in advance and, once granted, lasts for two years.
The requirement is already in place for citizens of certain countries, but will be extended to all non-EU nationals entering the UK (with the exception of anyone travelling on a UK passport) from January 8th, and then to all EU nationals (with the exception of anyone travelling on a Irish passport) from April 2nd.
Find full details here.
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