Air Italy opens direct flights to Havana

Air Italy opens direct flights to Havana
Published on Monday, August 3, 2009

HAVANA, Cuba (ACN) -- Air Italy began its direct flights to Havana on
July 31 with the arrival at the Jose Marti International Airport by a
Boeing 767 with 200 passengers on board, including a delegation of
Italian journalists. The initiative constitutes the first direct
connection between Italy and Cuba through that air carrier.

The director of the Cuban Tourism Office in Italy, Jose Antonio
Serguera, told reporters that Air Italy previously flew to Havana
through third countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, like Poland.
From now on, the Italian air company will maintain weekly flights from
Rome to Havana, every Friday, with a stopover in the city of Milan.

Air Italy´s sales manager Aurora Bignardi thanked the Cuban Civil
Aeronautics Institute and the Cuban Tourism Ministry for their support
of the project, which she dubbed "a dream" of Air Italy´s president
Giuseppe Gentile.

With the new service Cuban tourism authorities expect to increase the
number of Italian tourists visiting the island, which has already
surpassed 130, 000 vacationers annually. The figure has turned Italy
into the third major source of tourists to Cuba after Canada and Great
Britain.

The strategy followed by the Cuban Tourism Ministry is aimed at
distinguishing Cuba not only as a sun-and-beach destination, but also as
an attractive place for those looking for cultural, ecologic and health
tourism.

Caribbean Net News: Cuba (3 August 2009)
http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/cuba/cuba.php?news_id=18029&start=0&category_id=5