ALITALIA will commence four-weekly flights between Rome and Beijing beginning July 18 as part of plans to expand its network in East Asia.
Beijing will be the third East Asian city serviced by the Italian national carrier, after Tokyo and Seoul.
“The new route to Beijing represents a crucial investment for Alitalia as we continue to expand our network through increased longhaul flying to strategic markets,” said Cramer Ball, CEO, Alitalia.
The airline will ply the route using an Airbus A330 with 250 seats spread across three cabin classes: Business, Premium Economy and Economy.
It will depart from Rome Fiumicino Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at 14.20, arriving in Beijing at 6.20 local time the next day. Departure from Beijing takes place every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 9.15 local time, arriving in Rome at 14.25.
Alitalia currently also serves China with Etihad Airways codeshare flights, via Abu Dhabi, to Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.
Currently, only Air China flies direct between China’s and Italy’s capital cities.
