The Italian National Tourist Board & Air Italy launched the second and much anticipated nonstop flight from California to Milan. After Los Angeles, San Francisco was next. On Wednesday April 10 the inaugural flight took off from San Francisco International after a ribbon cutting ceremony at the presence of the Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, Lorenzo Ortona.

On April 11, over 120 Tour Operators and Travel Agents joined in the celebrations at the Ritz Carlton where they had a chance to discover the flight, the aircraft and enjoy a lovely evening of Italian food and entertainment. San Francisco International had not had a nonstop flight to Italy for over 18 years and the excitement for the launch was palpable.