Transaero will begin regular flights to Rome beginning June 27, the airline's chief executive Olga Pleshkova announced on her Twitter account Saturday, writing, "Received confirmation of schedule from airports in Italy)) 27.06 we start flights to Rome)) waiting for everyone)) flying from Vnukovo."
The twice-daily Rome flights will be Transaero's first under a new deal between Russia and Italy that broke rival Aeroflot's long-held monopoly on routes between the two countries.
The Federal Air Transportation Agency awarded Transaero the right to become the second Russian carrier to operate flights from Moscow to Milan and Rome on May 2. The airline also won licenses to fly three times a week from Moscow to Venice and Moscow to Rimini. A second airline, Sibir, was awarded rights to fly from Moscow to Bologna, Genoa and Verona twice a week. Aeroflot got seven extra flights a week to Bologna.
(MT)
