Rome is preparing for a blockbuster year in the skies in 2026. A wave of new routes announced by ITA Airways, Alaska Airlines, Air India, easyJet, Wizz Air, and Aeroitalia will bring fresh long-haul connections, more low-cost options, and better regional links into the Italian capital. From Houston and Seattle to Delhi, Malta, and the Greek islands, these services will reshape how international and European travelers reach Rome, and how Romans escape for weekends and holidays. For anyone planning a trip to or from the Eternal City, these are the routes to book early.

Rome’s 2026 Takeoff: A New Era for Fiumicino and the Eternal City

Rome’s main gateway, Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport, has quietly evolved into one of Europe’s most dynamic hubs, and the slate of new 2026 services confirms that transformation. Flag carrier ITA Airways is adding fresh long-haul and European capacity, while foreign airlines from North America and Asia are deepening their presence. At the same time, low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Wizz Air are thickening the web of point-to-point connections that feed Rome’s hotels, restaurants, and cultural venues year-round.

For travelers, the result is more choice on key intercontinental routes, more competition on popular European city pairs, and new non-stop options that cut hours off multi-stop journeys. For Rome itself, the new flights promise a surge in inbound visitors at a time when the city is investing heavily in infrastructure, museum restorations, and major events. With several routes timed to launch in March, April, and June 2026, the schedule is clearly targeting the lucrative spring and summer seasons.

What sets this round of announcements apart is how complementary the moves are. ITA Airways is zeroing in on strategic long-haul and premium European links, while Alaska Airlines, Air India, and Wizz Air open entirely new geographic frontiers or scale up existing operations. easyJet and Aeroitalia, meanwhile, strengthen connectivity from regional cities and secondary markets into Rome, turning the capital into an ever more compelling starting point for multi-stop itineraries across Italy and beyond.

ITA Airways: Strengthening Rome’s Global Hub With Houston and Heathrow

ITA Airways, Italy’s national carrier, is at the center of Rome’s 2026 expansion. Among the most eye-catching developments is the new non-stop service between Rome Fiumicino and Houston, which will launch on May 1, 2026. The carrier will become the first airline ever to connect the Texas energy capital and the Eternal City directly, using Airbus A330-900neo aircraft with a full long-haul product. The route will begin three times weekly in May before ramping up to five times weekly from June through late October, targeting both peak leisure demand and corporate traffic tied to energy and technology sectors in the United States.

The Houston route underlines ITA’s strategy of positioning the United States as its primary long-haul market. Houston will join a growing list of North American destinations in ITA’s network, and the flight will plug travelers into extensive onward domestic connections in the United States while offering Americans a direct gateway not only to Rome but also to ITA’s domestic network of 16 Italian airports. For North American travelers looking to pair Rome with Tuscany, the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, or Puglia, a single connection in Fiumicino will often be all that is required.

On the European front, ITA Airways is also restoring and upgrading its reach into London. Beginning March 29, 2026, the airline will resume flights from Rome Fiumicino to London Heathrow, operating two daily frequencies. The flights are scheduled with morning and afternoon departures, giving both business and leisure travelers flexibility for same-day meetings or weekend breaks. The route will use the carrier’s Airbus A320neo, highlighting a focus on quieter, more fuel-efficient aircraft on high-frequency European corridors.

Crucially, all Rome to London connections will be funneled through Heathrow, while ITA retains London City flights from Milan Linate. For travelers whose journeys combine Rome with the UK’s financial center, the combination of Heathrow and London City provides a powerful network. For Rome-based passengers, the renewed access to Heathrow reopens one of Europe’s most important global hubs, reinforcing Fiumicino’s growing role in international itineraries.

Alaska Airlines: A Historic Pacific Northwest Bridge to the Eternal City

In a landmark move for West Coast travelers, Alaska Airlines is entering the transatlantic market with a new non-stop connection between Seattle and Rome. Ticket sales opened in late 2025, with daily seasonal flights scheduled to begin on April 28, 2026. The flights will be operated by widebody Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, marking a significant step up in Alaska’s international ambitions and onboard product, including lie-flat Business Class suites and a redesigned long-haul experience.

For the Pacific Northwest, this route is a game-changer. Rome has long ranked among the most requested destinations for Alaska’s Mileage Plan members, yet it remained the largest European city without a non-stop link from Seattle. The new service dramatically shortens travel times, eliminates the need for connections through East Coast or European hubs, and positions Rome as a natural European entry point for West Coast travelers planning multi-country trips.

Alaska initially planned to operate the route with a lower weekly frequency but has already upgraded it to daily service due to strong early demand. That decision underscores both the enduring appeal of Italy and confidence in long-haul outbound travel from Seattle. The schedule is tailored to the peak summer season, when travelers can combine Rome’s archaeological treasures with side trips to the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre, or Sardinia, all reachable via quick domestic connections from Fiumicino.

For Rome, the Seattle service opens up deeper access to America’s Pacific Northwest and western Canada via Alaska’s dense regional network. Visitors coming from cities such as Portland, Anchorage, Spokane, or Vancouver, Washington, will be able to connect onto the Rome flight in one stop, adding a new dimension to the city’s long-haul catchment area and further internationalizing its tourism base.

Air India: Delhi to Rome Returns as a Key India–Europe Corridor

Air India is set to restore a vital bridge between South Asia and Southern Europe with the relaunch of non-stop flights between Delhi and Rome. The service, which was suspended nearly six years ago amid the pandemic-era reshaping of networks, will resume from March 25, 2026. The airline plans to operate four flights per week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, using Boeing 787-8 aircraft equipped with flat-bed Business Class and a full-service Economy cabin.

The reinstated Delhi–Rome route slots neatly into Air India’s strategy of rebuilding its long-haul European footprint under new ownership and with a rapidly modernizing fleet. For travelers in India, Rome will once again be an attractive gateway into Italy and wider Southern Europe, while for Italians and other Europeans, the non-stop flight provides a direct link not only to Delhi but also to an extended network covering the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Schedules are being coordinated to allow same-day connections in Delhi to popular destinations such as Bangkok, Colombo, Ho Chi Minh City, Kathmandu, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Phuket, and Singapore. This makes the route particularly appealing for travelers from Italy and neighboring countries who are interested in multi-stop Asia itineraries without the need to connect through traditional hubs in the Gulf or Central Europe.

For Rome’s tourism sector, the return of Air India comes at a time when Indian outbound travel is expanding rapidly. A growing Indian middle class, coupled with strong historic, cultural, and commercial ties between Italy and India, suggests demand on both sides of the route. Hotels, tour operators, and conference venues in Rome are likely to benefit from increased arrivals from India, while Italian businesses gain easier access to one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.

easyJet: New Low-Cost Gateways to Rome From the UK

At the budget end of the market, easyJet is stepping up its commitment to Rome Fiumicino with new routes from key UK cities launching in 2026. Among the headline additions is a new connection from Birmingham to Rome Fiumicino, starting March 5, 2026. The route will operate four times a week, with flights on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This schedule is ideal for both long weekends and full-week holidays, and it fills an important gap for travelers in England’s Midlands region, who previously faced more limited low-cost options to Italy’s capital.

In parallel, easyJet is also boosting Rome access from northern England. New flights from Newcastle to Rome Fiumicino are scheduled to start in late March 2026, operating twice weekly. For travelers in the Newcastle catchment area, these flights create a direct, short-hop connection to Rome’s cultural and culinary riches at typical easyJet price points, with entry-level fares pitched in the highly competitive low-cost range.

These additions come as part of a broader expansion across Europe for summer 2026, with the airline also launching routes to cities such as Lisbon and Bari. For Rome, the impact is a denser network of short-haul connections that complements the long-haul services arriving at Fiumicino. The easyJet flights are especially attractive to independent travelers, families, and younger visitors who build flexible, self-guided itineraries and often combine Rome with other Italian or Mediterranean destinations.

From the perspective of UK-based visitors, the new routes significantly expand the range of city pairs offering non-stop links to Rome. Travelers in Birmingham and Newcastle can now bypass the traditional hubs in London, saving time and frequently reducing costs. Add in easyJet’s package holiday offerings, which bundle flights with hotels and airport transfers, and Rome becomes an even more accessible city break or starting point for a wider Italian adventure.

Wizz Air is moving aggressively to cement its status as a major player at Rome Fiumicino in 2026, basing additional Airbus A321neo aircraft and unveiling a string of new routes. The ultra-low-cost carrier has announced a series of connections that will link Rome directly with a mix of island getaways and emerging city destinations across the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, many of them starting just in time for the 2026 summer season.

Among the most enticing options for leisure travelers are new flights from Rome to Malta and to several Greek islands. Daily service between Rome and Malta is scheduled to begin on March 29, 2026, offering unparalleled flexibility for both weekend escapes and longer stays on the archipelago. Later in June, Wizz Air will add routes from Rome to Rhodes and Kefalonia, launching around the end of the month with multiple weekly frequencies tailored to holiday traffic heading for beaches, historic sites, and island villages.

Wizz Air is also expanding Rome’s reach into less traditional markets. New flights from Fiumicino to Menorca, Tallinn, Constanta, Varna, and Pristina are scheduled to come online between late June and September 2026. These routes open up direct links to the Balearic Islands, the Baltic region, the Black Sea coast of Romania and Bulgaria, and the Kosovar capital, all at the carrier’s typically aggressive price levels.

Taken together, these additions strengthen Wizz Air’s position as one of Fiumicino’s key low-cost operators and give travelers more reasons to treat Rome as both a destination and a convenient hub for multi-stop trips. Visitors can fly into Rome, explore the city for a few days, then jump on a quick Wizz Air flight to an island or Eastern European destination, before circling back to Rome or returning home from another European city altogether.

Aeroitalia: Connecting Rome With Regional Italy and Ibiza

Italian carrier Aeroitalia is focusing on knitting together Rome and secondary markets, both within Italy and just beyond its borders. Several new routes involving the capital are slated to begin operations in early and mid 2026, giving travelers more non-stop options to and from Rome Fiumicino that bypass the country’s traditional legacy carriers and older routings.

Starting February 2, 2026, Aeroitalia will launch a new Roma–Genova service, adding a direct bridge between the capital and the Ligurian port city. The connection is particularly useful for business travelers, cruise passengers embarking in Genoa, and leisure visitors who want to combine Rome with the Riviera and Cinque Terre without lengthy train journeys or self-drive itineraries.

Looking ahead to summer, Aeroitalia is also set to debut flights between Rome and Ibiza, beginning June 12, 2026. This route taps into the enduring appeal of the Balearic club and beach scene for Italian and European travelers alike. A direct Rome–Ibiza flight means weekend partygoers and sunseekers can travel straight from the Italian capital to one of the Mediterranean’s most iconic islands in just a couple of hours, avoiding connections via Barcelona or Madrid.

Beyond these headline additions, Aeroitalia continues to promote competitive fares on routes linking Rome with domestic destinations such as Palermo, Catania, and Comiso, as well as with Bucharest. For travelers, that translates to more choice and often lower prices compared with legacy carriers on short- and medium-haul routes, and it further enhances Rome’s role as the central switching point in Italy’s aviation map.

How to Plan and Book These Must-Grab 2026 Routes

With so many new services converging on Rome in 2026, timing and strategy will be key for travelers who want to secure the best fares and the most convenient schedules. Many of the routes outlined above are seasonal, with operations concentrated between late March and October. Booking early for peak summer dates, especially on long-haul flights such as Seattle–Rome or Houston–Rome, is strongly advisable, as introductory fares tend to be snapped up quickly once ticket sales open.

Travelers should also consider pairing airlines to build creative itineraries. For example, a visitor from the United States could fly into Rome on Alaska Airlines or ITA Airways, spend several days exploring the city, then connect onwards to Malta, Rhodes, Kefalonia, or Menorca on Wizz Air, before returning home via another major European gateway. Similarly, an Indian traveler flying in on Air India’s Delhi–Rome service could combine Rome with Greek islands, Iberian hotspots, or Italian regional cities using easyJet, Wizz Air, or Aeroitalia.

Business travelers stand to benefit from the combination of premium-focused long-haul services and frequent European links. ITA’s new Heathrow flights, ITA’s Houston route, and Alaska’s Seattle service all offer competitive Business Class products, while easyJet and Wizz Air deliver cost-effective options for short hops within Europe. Corporate travel planners and frequent flyers may find that Rome becomes a more logical meeting point or routing choice in 2026 than in previous years.

Above all, the 2026 expansion underscores Rome’s status as a city worth visiting not just once, but repeatedly, and as a strategic jumping-off point for wider exploration. Whether you are drawn by ancient history, contemporary food and wine, island beaches, or emerging Eastern European city breaks, the new routes from ITA Airways, Alaska Airlines, Air India, easyJet, Wizz Air, and Aeroitalia open a world of possibilities. The sooner you map out your plans and lock in your tickets, the better positioned you will be to take advantage of Rome’s most exciting year in the skies yet.