With an average of 10 million visitors per year, Rome is undoubtedly one of Europe’s most-visited cities, and one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations.
Rome perfectly combines history, archeology, art, religion and fantastic cuisine, so whether you are into pizza, Prada or paintings, the city has something for everyone.
The peak season in Rome, which is also known as the Eternal City, is from May to September, so now is a good time to search for the best flights.
Since the pandemic, a number of new airlines and routes have been introduced. So, AeroTime has compiled a list of some of the major airlines that fly to Rome from all over the world.
For reference, we have only included full-service airlines that fly direct to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport (FCO).
ITA Airways
One of the airlines to be established during the pandemic, ITA Airways is the flag carrier of Italy, with its base operations located in Rome.
ITA, which stands for Italia Trasporto Aereo, commenced its operations in October 2021. The airline is 59% owned by the Italian government, with the remaining stake held by Lufthansa Group.
It currently operates a fleet of 78 aircraft, with plans to increase to 105 by 2025.
ITA Airways’ current routes are mainly domestic Italian routes, perfect if you plan to explore beyond Rome. It also serves a lot of inter-Europe flights with plenty of seasonal routes.
Beyond Italy and Europe, here are other cities ITA Airways flies to.
- Boston
- Buenos Aires
- Los Angeles
- New Delhi
- New York
- Malé
- Miami
- San Francisco
- Sao Paulo
- Rio de Janeiro
- Tokyo
- Washington
ITA Airways’ full network is available to view here.
Coming from North America
American tourists have always been a main source market in Italy, and are considered to be among the highest spenders in the country, with expenses exceeding €7 billion ($7.8 billion) in 2022.
So, it makes sense that there are plenty of direct flights from major United States hubs and cities to main destinations in Italy like Rome and Milan.
Here are three major US airlines that fly from the mainland US to Rome’s FCO airport.
American Airlines
American Airlines flies direct from various hubs in the US to three cities in Italy: Rome, Milan, and Venice.
Rome is American Airlines’ second most-served European destination for the summer of 2023.
All American Airlines flights between the US and Rome will be operated by Boeing 777-2 and Boeing 787-8 aircraft in three classes: business, premium economy and economy.
American Airlines flies to Rome directly from these five US cities.
- New York’s JFK Airport (double daily)
- Dallas Fort Worth (double daily)
- Charlotte
- Chicago O’Hare
- Philadelphia
All American Airlines flights to Rome can be checked here.
Delta Air Lines
In June 2023, Delta resumed its direct flights between Detroit and Rome’s FCO Airport.
The Atlanta-based airline currently flies direct to Rome from four US cities.
- New York JFK (8-9 flights a day)
- Atlanta (2 x a day)
- Boston (2 x a day)
- Detroit (1 x a day)
Delta uses its fleet of Airbus A330, Airbus A350, and Boeing 767 to fly to Rome.
All Delta Air Lines flights to Rome can be checked here.
United Airlines
To cater to the peak summer period, United Airlines launched its seasonal service between Chicago’s O’Hare airport (ORD) to Rome in April 2023 using the airline’s Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner fleet.
Currently, United Airlines flies direct to Rome from these US cities.
- New York- Newark Airport EWR (2 x a day)
- Chicago (2 x a day)
- Washington Dulles – IAD
- San Francisco
United uses the following aircraft from its fleet to fly to Rome: Boeing 767, Boeing 777, Boeing 787 Dreamliner
All United Airlines’ flights to Rome can be viewed here.
From Asia
Asian tourists, especially those from China, are big designer shoppers, and Italy’s luxury brands have been gearing up for the return of big-spending Chinese tourists.
Here are some airlines that connect Southeast Asia and China to Rome.
Air China
Air China only resumed its daily flights from Beijing to Rome in March 2023. Aside from Beijing, it also flies to Rome from Hangzhou Airport (HGH) three times a week.
The airline uses an Airbus A330 for its flights from China to Rome.
All Air China flights to Rome can be viewed here.
Cathay Pacific (to begin 2024)
Cathay Pacific started its services to Rome in the mid-1980s and since then has been a popular choice for travelers not just from Hong Kong but neighboring Southeast Asian countries and even Australia / New Zealand to fly to Rome.
The route ceased during the pandemic and will resume in April 2024.
Schedules for Hong Kong to Rome flights for 2024 can be viewed here.
Singapore Airlines
An interesting 2021 Expedia survey showed that Singaporeans and Italians are the most vacation deprived, using only an average of 10 vacation days per year, five days less than allowed.
Thankfully, Singapore Airlines connects the bustling Lion City to Rome directly, five times weekly on the airline’s A350 fleet.
SQ 366 Departs Singapore 02:05 local time and arrives in Rome at 08:40 local time.
Full schedules and fares from Singapore to Rome can be viewed here.
Korean Air
Based on this Korean digital marketing data, Italy is one of the top three European destinations visited by Koreans, often combining Rome with trips to the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland.
Post-pandemic, Korean Air resumed its services from Seoul to Rome in September 2022, and now flies one to two flights daily on the carrier’s Boeing 777 fleet.
KE 931 departs Seoul at 13:20 local time, and arrives in Rome at 19:10 local time
Full schedules and fares from Seoul to Rome can be viewed here.
Australia / New Zealand
Qantas (seasonal flights)
In 2022, Qantas launched its seasonal flights to Rome from Perth, the first direct flight from Australia to continental Europe.
According to an Australian census dated 2016, migrants from Italy make up the fifth most populous representation in Western Australia.
The seasonal flights are back in 2023 with thrice-weekly flights that began in June 2023 and will run until October 2023 using the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.
QF 5 departs Perth at 22:50 local time every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday and arrives in Rome at 08:50 local time the following day.
Full schedules and fares from Perth to Rome can be viewed here.
The Middle East
With its central geographic location and powerful combined fleet and frequency courtesy of
the big three Middle Eastern carriers, these airlines are a popular choice to fly to Rome (or Europe in general) whether you are coming from Asia, Australia, Africa, or South America.
Emirates
Rome is one of Emirates’ most popular destinations which is why the Dubai-based carrier introduced its flagship Airbus A380 aircraft to the route in 2011.
After the pandemic, Emirates reintroduced the A380 service to Rome in July 2022.
Emirates currently flies twice daily to Rome on the A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft.
EK 97 departs Dubai 09:10 local time and arrives in Rome 13:25 local time.
EK 95 departs Dubai 15:45 local time and arrives in Rome 20:05 local time.
These flights have a morning and afternoon departure to allow convenient transfers from connecting flights all over the globe. Flight time from Dubai to Rome is six hours and 15 minutes.
Full schedules and fares from Dubai to Rome can be viewed here.
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways recently announced that it is ramping up its services from Abu Dhabi to Rome from seven times weekly to 11 flights per week.
The four extra services will commence on November 4, 2023 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
EY85 departs Abu Dhabi 03:00 local time and arrives in Rome 06:20 local time.
Starting November 2023, EY 83 will depart Abu Dhabi 08:55 local time and will arrive in Rome 12:15 local time.
Etihad currently uses its fleet of Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner for flights to Rome.
Full schedules and fares from Abu Dhabi to Rome can be viewed here.
Qatar Airways
While Qatar Airways does not fly to Rome with an A380, it makes up for it with frequency, operating up to three flights per day on certain days.
Using its fleet of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, Qatar Airways flies to Rome on the following schedules:
- QR 114 departs Doha 02:10 local time, arrives in Rome 07:15 local time (daily)
- QF 131 departs Doha 08:55 local time, arrives in Rome 14:05 local time (daily)
- QF 113 departs Doha 15:45 local time, arrives in Rome 20:50 local time (Thursdays and Saturdays)
Full schedules and fares from Doha to Rome can be viewed here.
Europe
There are plenty of low-cost carriers that fly to Rome within Europe. For this list, we’re including two full-service airlines that fly to Rome from both sides of Europe.
British Airways
The flight from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Rome is just over two hours, so British Airways operates this route up to nine times a day.
Schedules frequently change, so it’s best to check the airline’s full schedules and fares for updated flight times.
British Airways uses the following aircraft on its flights to Rome.
- Airbus A318/319/320/321
- Airbus A319
- Airbus A320 (sharklets)
- Airbus A320-100/200
- Airbus A320neo
- Airbus A321-100/200
- Airbus A321neo
Turkish Airlines
Flights from Istanbul to Rome only take two hours and 15 minutes, so Turkish Airlines departs four times a day. Departure times start at eight in the morning until nine in the evening.
Turkish Airlines also flies to Rome out of Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SAW), located on the Anatolian (Asian side) area of Turkey.
The airline uses the following aircraft on its services to Rome:
- Airbus A31X/32X
- Airbus A330
- Airbus A350
- Boeing 737
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner
Full schedules and fares from both airports in Istanbul to Rome can be viewed here.