Venezuela plans to resume direct flights between Caracas and Rome next year.

Venezuela's Ministry of People's Power for Communication and Information issued a statement on the 13th saying that the Venezuelan government has signed a memorandum of understanding with ITA Airways, planning to resume direct flights between the capitals of Venezuela and Italy next year. According to the statement published on the website of Venezuela's Ministry of Communication and Information, the direct route between Venezuela's capital Caracas and Italy's capital Rome is planned to resume from March 30, 2027, with three flights per week, expected to provide more than 90,000 seats annually. ITA Airways confirmed the news in a statement the same day, saying that the route will connect Rome Fiumicino Airport with Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas. The statement said that this route will "strengthen connectivity between Italy and Venezuela, a key Latin American market, promote the development of economic and trade relations, and support the business activities of Italian companies operating in Venezuela." ITA Airways was born out of Alitalia, which was founded in 1946. The latter repeatedly fell into financial crisis and was approved by the Italian government in 2020 to restructure into ITA Airways, officially beginning operations under its new identity the following year. Alitalia suspended direct flights between Rome and Caracas in 2015 due to the Venezuelan government's debt issues.