Rome-Caracas Nonstop Returns in 2027 as ITA Airways Signals Venezuela's Aviation Revival

The Ita Airways aircraft transporting Pope leo XIV arrives after landing at the Orly airport, in the outskirts of Paris, on September 25, 2026 for his four days visit to France. Pope Leo XIV begins an official visit to France on September 25, with several thorny issues hanging over the trip, from clerical sexual abuse to the country's new assisted dying law. (Credit: Photo by MEHDI FEDOUACH / AFP via Getty Images)

The Briefing:

• Italy's ITA Airways will operate three nonstop weekly flights between Rome Fiumicino and Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas starting March 30, 2027 — the first direct service between the two cities since Alitalia pulled out in April 2015.
• A Memorandum of Understanding signed on October 13 by ITA CEO Joerg Eberhart and Venezuela's Ambassador to Italy, María Elena Uzzo Giannattasio, gives the deal both commercial and diplomatic weight.
• Rome will become the third European capital with nonstop access to Caracas, alongside Madrid and Istanbul, as Venezuela's aviation sector rebuilds at a speed few in the industry anticipated.