Emirates and ITA Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to extend their current interline agreement to a codeshare agreement. Once activated, codeshare will increase travel and
connection options for customers traveling between Dubai, Italy and beyond.
The signed Memorandum of Understanding will lay the foundation to strengthen the partnership between both airlines, creating single-stop connections to popular cities in Italy and across Europe with ITA Airways, and promoting easier and faster travel on the Emirates network from Dubai with the best routes, schedules and connections.
Adnan Kazim, Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates Airline, said: "Enhancing our partnerships and boosting our presence in key regions such as Europe is an integral part of our business strategy, and underlines our commitment to offering customers flexibility across networks. complementary services of our partners. The close collaboration with ITA Airways will strengthen our presence in interesting cities in Italy and in key points in Europe. We look forward to fully activating our partnership with ITA Airways in the coming months and offering unrivaled access to our two growing networks ".
Antonino Turicchi, President of ITA Airways, adds: "We are pleased to sign this codeshare partnership with Emirates. This Memorandum of Understanding further underpins ITA Airways' growth business strategy and opens a privileged access route to all passengers, which "They will benefit from connectivity via Rome Fiumicino and Dubai.
This agreement marks the company's 35th codeshare partnership, an excellent result we have achieved in just over two years."
Under the planned codeshare, Emirates customers will be able to travel comfortably to various cities in Italy from the airline's gateway in Rome, including popular tourist destinations such as Florence, Genoa, Palermo and Trieste, among others.
Customers will also be able to connect with cities across Europe, such as Tirana, Sofia and other notable destinations.
ITA Airways customers will benefit from significantly expanded options when connecting to Emirates' route network from Dubai via the airline's services in Rome. The planned connectivity between Emirates and ITA Airways will eventually offer combined ticketing and baggage transfer. The planned agreement
will also support inbound visits to Italian points from regions across the Emirates network, including Australia, Far East, Middle East/GCC and West Asia.
The Memorandum of Understanding also seeks to establish the expansion of reciprocal loyalty benefits in the frequent flyer programs of both airlines in a later phase.
Once the necessary government and regulatory authorizations are obtained, codeshare flights will progressively be made available to customers through online platforms and travel agencies.
Emirates has been flying to Italy since 1992. The airline currently operates 41 weekly flights between Dubai and its four entry points in Italy, including Rome, Milan, Venice and Bologna, using a mix of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.