BERLIN, Germany, 8 March 2024: Emirates and ITA Airways have inked an MoU to expand their existing interline into a full codeshare partnership.
Once activated, the codeshare will boost travel options and connection choices for customers travelling between Dubai, Italy, and beyond.
The MoU signed on Wednesday during ITB Berlin will establish the foundations to strengthen the partnership between both airlines, creating one-stop connections to popular cities across Italy and wider Europe with ITA Airways. It will also open up simpler and faster journeys to the Emirates network from Dubai.
Emirates Airline deputy president and chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim said: “Enhancing our partnerships and boosting our presence in key regions such as Europe is an integral part of our commercial strategy and underscores our commitment to providing customers flexibility through our partners’ complementary networks. Working closely with ITA Airways will strengthen our footprint across exciting cities in Italy and key points in Europe. We look forward to fully activating our partnership with ITA Airways in the coming months and providing unrivalled access to both of our growing networks.”
ITA Airways chairman Antonino Turicchi said: “This MoU further enhances ITA Airways’ commercial growth strategy and opens up a privileged access route to all passengers who will benefit from the connectivity via Rome Fiumicino and Dubai.”
Under the planned codeshare, Emirates’ customers can travel to several domestic cities in Italy from the airline’s gateway in Rome, including popular tourist destinations like Florence, Genoa, Palermo, and Trieste. Customers can also connect to cities across Europe, including Tirana, Sofia, and other major cities.
ITA Airways customers will benefit from significantly enhanced choices by connecting to the Emirates route network from Dubai via the airline’s Rome services. The connectivity provided between Emirates and ITA Airways will eventually offer combined ticketing and seamless baggage transfers. The planned agreement will also support inbound visitation to Italian points from regions across the Emirates network, including Australia, the Far East, the Middle East/GCC and West Asia.
The MoU also seeks to establish extending reciprocal loyalty benefits on both airlines’ frequent flyer programmes at a later stage.
Once the necessary government and regulatory approvals are obtained, the codeshare flights will progressively be made available to customers across online and travel agency platforms.
Emirates has been serving Italy since 1992. The airline currently operates 41 weekly flights between Dubai and its four Italian gateways, including Rome, Milan, Venice, and Bolonga, using a mix of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.
For flights and booking information visit www.emirates.com.
