Aeromexico will offer nonstop service to Italy from next March as part of plans to operate its largest-ever schedule between Mexico and Europe.

The airline is starting flights from Mexico City Juarez (MEX) to Rome Fiumicino (FCO), as well as increasing frequencies to Madrid (MAD). In addition, the carrier plans to resume service to Tokyo Narita (NRT).

The planned Mexico City-Rome route is slated to launch on March 25, 2023, initially operating three times per week using Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Frequencies will increase to 5X-weekly from June 1.

Aeromexico said that passengers arriving in Rome would also be able to connect to other destinations in Italy served by SkyTeam partner ITA Airways, including Milan, Turin, Genoa, Venice, Florence, Naples, Catania, and Bologna.

Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that the Mexico-Rome market has been unserved since ITA Airways predecessor Alitalia halted flights between the destinations in March 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.

Since then, Neos Air has been the sole operator of nonstop flights between Mexico and Italy. The carrier currently serves Rome Fiumicino-Cancun (CUN) once a week and is scheduled to resume Milan Malpensa (MXP)-Cancun in December.

Speaking to Routes earlier this month, Aeroporti di Roma CEO Marco Troncone said Rome’s Fiumicino and Ciampino (CIA) airports would be “very close” to pre-pandemic levels during the northern summer 2023 season.

He added that traffic across the two airports is back to about 80% of 2019 figures, boosted by strong short-haul European markets and inbound flows from the US and Canada.

As well as launching the new route to Rome, Aeromexico said it plans to increase frequencies on both its Guadalajara (GDL)-Madrid and Monterrey (MTY)-Madrid routes from 3X-weekly to daily. The frequencies will increase from three to 5X-weekly March 27, and then daily on June 1.

Aeromexico currently connects Mexico and Spain with 20 weekly flights from Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. By June 2023, there will be 28 flights per week.

With these additional frequencies and new Rome route, the airline´s offer to Europe will increase by more than 20% compared with summer 2022 to 54 Mexico-Europe frequencies per week. The figure is a record for the carrier.

Additionally, Aeromexico said it expects to resume flights to Tokyo Narita from March 25 after an absence of three years. Flights from Mexico City will be daily.