Italian carrier ITA Airways has launched a new direct service between Rome and Houston as part of its summer schedule.
The seasonal service, first announced in December, will operate three times weekly (on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) throughout May, before increasing to five weekly frequencies from 1 June to 24 October (on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
Flights depart Rome Fiumicino at 10:20 and arrive at Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 15:40. Meanwhile, services from Houston depart at 18:10 and arrive in Rome at 11:50 the following day.
The new route is operated by Airbus A330-900 aircraft and marks ITA’s nineth destination in North America, where the carrier already operates direct flights to New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC, as well as seasonal services to Chicago and Toronto.
ITA, in a statement, said the new non-stop service closes "a longstanding gap in transatlantic connectivity", with the US representing the carrier’s "most important" market outside Italy.
ITA Airways CEO and general manager Joerg Eberhart said: “Houston is a key addition for our airline, representing a further growth in our long haul-network, on which we intend to build our future development… The new service opens up more of Italy to Houstonians and the wider Gulf Coast region, providing a direct gateway to Rome, and onward connections across Italy and Europe.”