ITA Airways will launch nonstop flights between Rome and Caracas in March 2027, restoring a link between Italy and Venezuela that has been absent from the network of Italy’s flag carrier for nearly 12 years.
The airline will operate three weekly flights between Rome Fiumicino Airport and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas from March 30, using Airbus A330-900 widebody jets.
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ITA Airways announced the service after Chief Executive Officer Joerg Eberhart signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela’s ambassador to Italy, María Elena Uzzo Giannattasio, on October 13.
The new route will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. It will also provide connections through ITA’s Rome hub to destinations elsewhere in Italy and Europe.
Return to a former Alitalia market
The service restores a route previously operated by Alitalia, which suspended its Rome-Caracas flights in April 2015.
The former Italian flag carrier had faced difficulties repatriating revenue generated in Venezuela amid the country’s currency controls, a problem that affected several international airlines operating there at the time.
ITA Airways was established in 2020 and began operations in October 2021 after acquiring selected aviation assets from Alitalia, but it did not initially restore the Venezuelan route.
Caracas will become ITA’s fourth destination in South America, joining Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Launch pushed back to 2027
ITA had been considering an earlier return to Venezuela. Eberhart said during the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in June that the airline was targeting October or November 2026 for the start of Caracas flights.
The launch has since been moved to March 2027. The delay followed damage to infrastructure at Caracas’ Maiquetía airport caused by earthquakes in June.
The A330-900 is ITA Airways’ newest long-haul aircraft type and operates alongside older A330-200s and Airbus A350-900s in the carrier’s widebody fleet.
The airline’s A330-900s are configured with 291 seats across business, premium economy and economy cabins.
