ROME — ITA Airways (AZ) plans to launch Rome–Caracas flights on March 30, 2027, operating three times weekly with Airbus A330-900 aircraft. The service is scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS), which serves Caracas from Maiquetía.
CEO Joerg Eberhart and Venezuela’s ambassador to Italy, María Elena Uzzo Giannattasio, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on October 13 following discussions with authorities and diplomatic representatives. The planned flights would restore a route previously served by Alitalia, which suspended it in April 2015.
The planned nonstop service would also give Caracas passengers access to connections through Rome. ITA already serves Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo from Fiumicino.
A330-900 Capacity and Rome Connections
ITA’s A330-900 configuration has 291 seats: 30 in business class, 24 in premium economy, and 237 in economy. At that configuration and the announced frequency, the route would offer 873 seats in each direction weekly, or 1,746 across both directions.
The airline took delivery of its first A330neo in May 2023, introducing the type as part of its long-haul fleet renewal.
In its announcement, ITA identified the Italian and Italian-descended community in Venezuela and Italian businesses operating there as markets for the service.
Earlier Launch Proposal and Airport Reopening
The March start follows an earlier proposal to begin flights in late 2026. Aviacionline reported that Eberhart had indicated an October or November launch during the International Air Transport Association’s annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro in June.
The outlet attributed the postponement to June earthquakes that damaged Maiquetía’s terminal and taxiways. The ITA announcement carried by Italpress did not specify a reason for the revised timetable.
Airways reported that Caracas resumed domestic and international passenger operations through temporary terminals on September 1, while repairs continued to the permanent facilities. That reopening restored passenger access through a smaller ground operation, with carriers returning on different dates.
Alitalia Suspended the Route in 2015
Historically, the Alitalia Rome-Caracas route, last operated with Boeing 777-200ER and A330-200 widebodies both featuring the Magnifica business class cabin layout, was one of the then Italian flag carrier’s most profitable long-haul operations due to the massive community of Italians and people of Italian descent living in Venezuela.
Alitalia’s 2015 annual report records the Rome–Caracas suspension from April 3, citing difficulties repatriating funds from Venezuela due to currency and exchange controls in the South American country.
The wider dispute centered on ticket revenue earned in bolivars that airlines could not convert into hard currency under Venezuela’s exchange controls, Reuters reported in September 2014. The same report recorded AZ’s return to limited service earlier that month after a temporary suspension. Its subsequent April 2015 withdrawal ended that restart, marking the end of an era for AZ at CCS.
Alitalia inaugurated its transatlantic passenger service connecting Rome and Caracas in 1951.
Featured image: Brandon Farris/Airways
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