Alitalia launches flights between Venice and Tokyo

Venice – At Marco Polo airport in Venice today, Gabriele Del Torchio, Alitalia’s CEO, and Enrico Marchi, President of SAVE, celebrated the launch of the first direct Alitalia flight from Venice to Tokyo, which departed at 1330 hours.

Gabriele Del Torchio, Alitalia’s CEO, declared: “From today, Venice became Alitalia’s third intercontinental airport in Italy thanks to the new direct service to Tokyo which will strengthen the global role of Venice and the Veneto region. Today Marco Polo airport is even more established as a gateway to the East. With this new direct intercontinental service, and also by offering Air One quality at affordable fares, we are becoming closer and more focused as to the needs of this Region and its industrial districts. The new flight to Tokyo will support the needs of the economy and local production and will give a further boost to tourism to Venice and the Veneto region, given the large number of Japanese tourists which will land at Marco Polo airport and who, with Alitalia and Air One can then continue their journey to the rest of Italy and Europe.”

Enrico Marchi, President of SAVE, stated: “the new flight to Tokyo is the result of an intense team effort over the years with Alitalia and for Venice airport it is particularly significant because this represents the first direct connection with the Far East. Our commitment towards the development of intercontinental routes, therefore, continues to bear fruit and is expressed in this important flight, added to the seven already operating on this segment of traffic. We, in SAVE, like to look forward to destinations which will help to open new markets, to support the economy of this lively region which is always ready to seize new opportunities. Japan is an important market and our commitment is concentrated on developing great potential.

The new Alitalia service between Venice and Tokyo will operate two days a week: from “Marco Polo” airport AZ788 will depart on Thursdays and Saturdays at 1.30PM and will land in Tokyo at 9.40AM (local time) the following morning. From Tokyo Narita, AZ789 will depart every Wednesday and Friday at 12.25PM (local time) and will arrive in Venice at 8.20PM.

With this new twice-weekly flight, Alitalia will thereby increase its services to the Far East and, in particular, to Japan, a key market for Alitalia.
Alitalia has a total of 19 weekly frequencies to Japan: 14 frequencies a week, of which 7 are from Rome Fiumicino, 5 from Milan Malpensa and 2 from Venice, which connect these three Italian airports with Tokyo Narita; 5 flrequencies a week connect Rome Fiumicino with Osaka.

Venice has become the third Italian city, after Rome and Milan, to host intercontinental flights operated by Alitalia and, above all, for the first time, Alitalia offers the citizens of Venice and the Veneto region a direct service to the Far East.

The service between Venice and Tokyo will be operated by one of Alitalia’s Boeing B777 aircraft, the flagship of its long-haul fleet, which can accommodate 293 passengers on board divided into three classes of travel: Magnifica business class (30 seats), Classic Plus premium economy class (24 seats) and Classica economy class (239 seats).

Customers from Italy’s North East departing from Venice will now be able to enjoy the experience of travel at the highest level in Alitalia’s Magnifica business class which offers the comfort of totally reclinable seats which become flat beds and have individual direct aisle access. The whole Magnifica class experience has been developed under the “Made in Italy” symbol of Excellence. The menus of “Grand Masters of Alma”, for which Alitalia has received international recognition for the fourth consecutive year, allow customers to appreciate flavours of our country. During the Saveur Culinary Travel Awards 2013 ceremony, Alitalia’s on-board wine cellar also received another important award, the “Best In-Flight Wine Program”, thanks to the excellence of the wines offered. The on-board amenity kits also offered to customers for their personal comfort have been produced by some of the important industries of “Made in Italy”.

Classica Plus, Alitalia’s premium economy class, also available on the Venice-Tokyo flights, is dedicated to passengers who wish to buy economy class tickets but do not want to give up superior comfort at an affordable price. Classica Plus has a separate reserved section on the aircraft and for all passengers travelling in Classica Plus, as well as those travelling in Classica economy class, there is a gastronomic choice of a western meal or a typical Japanese meal.

The Alitalia Group’s services from Venice are hinged on Alitalia flights to Rome Fiumicino; with more than 100 weekly return flights on this route it is possible to reach Rome at any time of the day and also allows onward travel, with convenient connection time at Rome, not exceeding 90 minutes, to 15 intercontinental destinations (in the United States, South America, Middle East and Africa) and to more than 60 international destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, the Balkans and Caucasus.

Air One, the Smart Carrier of the Alitalia Group, also offers services from Venice, to connect Italian domestic destinations with principal European cities, at affordable fares and quality service. For the summer 2014 season, Air One will operate services from Venice to 11 destinations, 4 of which are domestic and 7 international. In Italy, Air One operates from Venice to Cagliari, Catania, Lamezia Terme and Palermo. Air One’s international services from Venice are to Athens, Copenhagen, Ibiza, Moscow, Prague, St. Petersburg and Tirana.