ITA Airways will debut its A350 aircraft on the Rome Fiumicino-Buenos Aires route on June 2, using the opportunity to launch some new on-board features.
The new A350-900 has 334 seats, including 33 fully-flat seats in business and 39 seats in comfort economy with more legroom.
The Rome FCO-Buenos Aires route will operate five times weekly, increasing to daily from August. Flight times are as follows:
- AZ680 Rome-Buenos Aires depart 2145, arrive 0650
- AZ681 Buenos Aires-Rome depart 1240, arrive 0640
The aircraft’s new seats have a focus on Italian products and sustainability. ITA Airways says that 75 per cent of its aircraft will be new-generation by 2025 (ie: feature these new Italian products). The A350 aircraft is more fuel efficient, reducing fuel consumption by 20 per cent and so reducing CO2 emissions per seat.
Interiors on the A350 are by Italian designer Walter De Silva and have been inspired by Gino Paoli’s song ‘Il Cielo in una stanza’ (The Sky in a Room), with a colour scheme of blue and sand along with a lighting system which changes depending on the time of the flight.
New uniforms for the cabin crew have been developed by the ITA Airways team in collaboration with Brunello Cucinelli, with production and manufacturing by medium-sized Italian enterprises.
The men’s uniform is a dry-fitting jacket and trouser suit with a one-and-a-half-breasted jacket, while women will have the choice of a jacket and trouser or suit combo(dry-fitting seems to be something to do with sweat-wicking.)
The uniforms will gradually enter service on the entire fleet over the next few months. ITA Airways explains: “This gradual approach is intended precisely to avoid wasting money by managing the end-of-stock of old uniforms and thus making the operation neutral with respect to the Company’s budget.”
The airline’s new inflight catering will also launch on June 2 on all intercontinental flights. It will offer a seasonally rotating menu by several world-renowned Italian chefs, beginning with award-winning chef Enrico Bartolini – the other chefs have not yet been named.
Bartolini will serve traditional Italian dishes in business class, such as pappa al pomodoro (Tuscan soup). Meanwhile, economy class will also see a renewed menu featuring products produced in Italy.
Looking to the future, the airline said it will announce partnerships “with world leaders in specific sectors” in the coming months, and hinted at coffee and wellness experiences.
The new on-board features will gradually be introduced throughout the airline’s fleet.
Meanwhile, the airline is launching new routes from Rome FCO to Los Angeles (seven-times-weekly) on June 1:
- AZ620 Rome-Los Angeles depart 0915, arrive 1315
- AZ621 Los Angeles-Rome depart 1515, arrive 1215
And from Rome FCO to Sao Paulo (five-times-weekly, increasing to daily from August):
- AZ674 Rome-Sao Paulo depart 2205, arrive 0525
- AZ675 Sao Paulo-Rome depart 1425, arrive 0710
The airline aims to reach a total of 42 weekly flights between the US and Italy by August, with customers already able to access over 130 US domestic destinations through the airline’s codeshare with Delta.
The airline’s 2022 summer season includes 63 new destinations, of which 22 are domestic, 34 are international and seven are intercontinental. The airline has also signed a total of 24 codeshare agreements with carriers, reaching over 300 destinations.
ITA Airways began flights in October 2021 following the closure of its predecessor Alitalia, and recently unveiled its Volare loyalty programme, alongside the opening of a new lounge at Rome Fuimicino airport.
We recently flew from London Heathrow to Rome Fiumicino. See:
Flight review: ITA Airways, A320 business class
