Alitalia will launch flights between Washington and Rome this spring, the carrier's first direct route between the two capitals. The five-times weekly flight between Rome Fiumicino and Washington Dulles commences May 2. The eastbound leg, departing at 4:15 p.m. and arriving at 7:00 a.m. Rome time, is designed to allow passenger connections via Alitalia's network throughout Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

Alitalia last flew out of Washington 13 years ago when it offered direct flights to Milan's Malpensa airport. Speaking in New York today, Alitalia chief business officer Fabio Maria Lazzerini said the Washington-Rome connection offers a good mix of corporate, leisure and humanitarian organization traffic.