“This has been the aspiration and desire of city government and the airport system for years,” Whitmire said during a press conference.
In a nutshell
Whitmire said Italian airline ITA Airways will offer the flights to Rome Fiumicino Airport. The new Houston connection marks the ninth U.S. destination for the airline, officials said.
“We connect this [for the] first time with a direct flight, and we are very happy about this connection,” said Joerg Eberhart, CEO and general manager of ITA Airways. “We see the potential in the market, but we also see the connection of cultures, the connection of economies, which plays a big role for us.”
Eberhart said the airline will start with three nonstop flights per week in May and ramp up to five flights per week by June. The flights are already available for purchase through the airline, he said.
Tilman J. Fertitta, U.S. ambassador to Italy and San Marino, said Houston is a competitive market for travel with its culture, energy generation and medical center. The flights will also launch in time for Houston’s FIFA World Cup matches starting in mid-June, Fertitta said.
One more thing
Houston Airports Director of Aviation Jim Szczesniak said that in addition to expanding tourism between the two locations, the direct connection to Rome serves as a business investment for the city of Houston.
Szczesniak said Houston shares a strong business relationship with Italy, with over 40 Houston-based subsidiaries that have a presence in the capital city of Rome. Additionally, he said many Italian businesses have U.S. headquarters in Houston, such as the oil and gas company Eni.
“If we look at what’s going on in the Italian economy and the Houston economy, this gives us now the opportunity to go to Italian companies and try to track more of them and locate their U.S. headquarters here in Houston because we’ve got this great service now,” Szczesniak said.
