In a press release issued yesterday, Italian national flag carrier Alitalia said that it would be adding over 1,600 flights in August, including a service between Rome and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Compared to July, this makes an increase of 24% more flights in August and double what the SkyTeam alliance member flew in June.

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Alitalia will operate six flights per week between Rome and Tokyo. Photo: Getty Images

In the press release, Alitalia said it would operate planes on 75 routes to 52 airports, of which 20 are in Italy and 32 abroad. The number of seats offered in August is expected to exceed one million up 29% on what was available in July. Although the upward trend in the number of flights Alitalia is offering shows significant growth, it is still only 45% of what Alitalia had planned for August pre-coronavirus.

Alitalia will start its new service to Tokyo

August will see Alitalia resume some of its long-haul flights, including the beginning of its service between Rome–Fiumicino International Airport (FCO) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) commencing August 17.

Flights between Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) will resume on August 15, along with an increase in the number of flights between Rome and New York.

Alitalia
Despite a monopoly on air travel, Alitalia faces competition from high-speed rail between Rome and Milan. Photo: Getty Images

The breakdown

Alitalia's medium-haul network will see an increase in flights to France, Spain, and North Africa. Along with this, Alitalia will add seasonal flights to holiday destinations in the Balearic and Greek Islands. In addition to the flights already mentioned starting the beginning of August, Alitalia will fly to the following destinations from Rome Fiumicino:

  • Malaga 6x per week
  • Algiers 6 x per week
  • Cairo 6 x per week
  • Marseille 10 x per week
  • Tel Aviv 10 x per week

Seasonal summer flights from Rome starting in August include the following destinations:

  • Palma de Mallorca 4 x per week
  • Ibiza 4 x per week
  • Menorca 4 x per week
  •  Corfu 4 x per week
  •  Kefalonia 4 x per week
  •  Heraklion (Crete) 4 x per week
  •  Rhodes 4 x per week
  •  Mykonos 4 x per week
  • Zakynthos 2 x per week

Starting August 1, Alitalia will increase its flights from Rome to New York from eight flights per week to 14 flights per week. Flights from Rome to Athens will double from two daily flights to four.

Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Geneva, Munich and Tunis will go from 10 flights per week to 14. Meanwhile, Malta, Nice, and Tirana will go from six to 14 flights per week.

Domestically, Alitalia will increase the frequency of flights to meet demand with flights from Rome to Brindisi, doubling from two to four flights per day. Flights from the Italian capital to Pantelleria will increase from four to six flights per week.

Milan Linate Airport will reopen in August

Milan Linate Airport (LIN) is also scheduled to reopen in August and will see flights between Rome and Milan resumed with ten trips per day. At the same time, there will be four daily flights to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) from the eternal city.

The Airbus A320 of the Italian flag carrier

Beginning July 24, Alitalia will operate 16 flights per day from Milan Linate airport to Cagliari. There will also be ten flights per day to Olbia and six flights per day to Alghero.

Changes to Alitalia's flight schedule should be available for booking in the sales system starting next week.

Passengers must wear face masks

Alitalia would like to remind all passengers that they must complete a self-certification form before boarding. This certifies that they have not had close contact with people diagnosed with COVID-19.

Passengers are also required to wear a face mask as soon as they arrive at the airport. A face mask must be worn for the duration of the flight. Additionally, for long-haul flights, passengers will be required to replace their face masks every four hours.

Let us know what you think of Alitalia's plans in the comment section.