A new summer link by Italian flag carrier Alitalia between Rome and Larnaca is an example of the increasing trading links between Italy and Cyprus. The airline believes its twice weekly service will represent an important launch pad for the further development of trade and tourism between the countries.

Alitalia will inaugurate the seasonal link between its Rome Fiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci International Airport hub and Larnaca International Airport from June 8, 2016 with flights being operated using two-class Airbus A320 equipment on Wednesday and Saturdays from Italy and Thursdays and Sundays back from Cyprus.

The new link will not only support better aircraft utilisation of Alitalia’s short-haul fleet through the sector’s night hour operation, but will also bring increased connectivity options in and out of Cyprus via its Fiumicino hub.

This represents the first full-service operation between Italy and Cyprus since the collapse of Cyprus Airways. The former national carrier of the Mediterranean island had served both Rome and Milan from Larnaca on a regular basis, ending flights on the routes in October 2013 and November 2012, respectively.

Alitalia will compete directly with pan-European low-cost carrier Vueling Airlines between Rome Fiumicino and Larnaca with the carrier offering its own twice weekly seasonal flights on the route since summer 2015. Ryanair also links Rome with Cyprus but serving Paphos from the city’s Ciampino Airport, while easyJet has flights linking Milan Malpensa to Larnaca.

Italy is one of Cyprus’ main trading partners, and according to figures issued by the Italian Statistics Institute Istat, trade between the two countries, encouraged by common interests in the Mediterranean, continued to grow in 2015, with Italian exports standing at €263 million and imports at €32 million.

According to intelligence provider, OAG, despite the arrival of Alitalia, available capacity between Italy and Cyprus this year will be at its third lowest level this decade with just over 85,000 two-way seats in the market. Alitalia will have an 11.4 percent share versus the stronger offerings of established low-cost carriers easyJet (39.8 percent share) and Ryanair (38.8 percent share).

The peaks in the capacity in 2012 and 2013 were driven by Ryanair's arrival in the market and a network that originally linked six points in Italy to Cyprus - it now has just the single route between Rome and Paphos. The levels between 2006 and 2013 included the network operations of Cyprus Airways.