ITA Airways will return Italy's flag carrier to Venezuela on March 30, 2027, launching nonstop flights between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Caracas Simón Bolívar International Airport at Maiquetía (CCS). The service will operate three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with the Airbus A330-900, over a distance of 8,335 kilometres.
Agreement signed in Rome
The launch was confirmed on Tuesday when ITA Airways chief executive and general manager Joerg Eberhart signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela's ambassador to Italy, María Elena Uzzo Giannattasio, Aviacionline and Italpress reported.
"Rome and Caracas are connected by a nonstop flight again, a service that goes beyond its commercial dimension and brings people, families and companies closer together," Eberhart said. The ambassador said the route "will serve as a bridge connecting our communities and supporting tourism, trade and cultural exchanges."
A later start than first planned
The March 2027 date is later than ITA originally intended. Speaking at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro in June, Eberhart said flights to Caracas would begin in October or November 2026. That timetable slipped after earthquakes in June damaged the terminal and taxiways at Maiquetía. In July and August, Air Europa, Iberia and Plus Ultra diverted their Venezuela flights to Valencia while repairs were carried out.
Back where Alitalia left off
The new route revives a link that Italy last had in 2015. Alitalia pulled out of Caracas that year over airline funds that were held back under Venezuela's currency exchange controls. At the time, Alitalia operated the route three times a week with the Airbus A330-200, and Eberhart described it as one of Alitalia's most profitable routes.
Both the airline and the embassy framed the new link around people and trade rather than pure traffic numbers, pointing to family visits, business ties and tourism in both directions.
Competition on Europe–Venezuela routes
ITA will enter a market already served by several carriers. From Spain, Air Europa flies five times a week from Madrid and Iberia operates three weekly flights, while Plus Ultra also serves the Madrid market. Venezuelan carriers Laser and Estelar also compete in the market, and Turkish Airlines connects Caracas with Istanbul four times a week. None of these competitors flies from Italy.
The A330-900 gives ITA a modern widebody for the route, replacing the older A330-200 that Alitalia used more than a decade ago.
Wider Latin America plans
Caracas is part of a broader push into Latin America by ITA Airways. According to Business Traveller, the airline is reviewing Lima and Santiago de Chile for 2028, tied to the arrival of two additional Airbus A350s. ITA is also preparing to join the transatlantic and transpacific joint venture led by Lufthansa and ANA in October 2026.
What travellers should know
ITA has not yet published fares or detailed flight times for Caracas. With a launch date of March 30, 2027, bookings and schedule details are likely to follow in the coming months. Travellers should keep in mind that Venezuela routes have seen schedule changes in the past, and that operations at Maiquetía were disrupted this year by earthquake damage.
Sources: Aviacionline, Business Traveller, Italpress.
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