New airlines will appear in Europe. The first connection in May 2026

One of the American airlines is preparing for his debut in the European sky. Already next year the carrier will launch the first direct connection with the US to one of the most visited cities of the Old Continent. This is the beginning of a broader expansion that the company plans for the coming years.

Alaska Airlines plan to launch their first flights to Europe next year – a direct connection with Seattle to Rome. The new carrier route based in Seattle is possible thanks to the takeover of Hawaiian Airlines last year – along with its fleet of long -range aircraft.

Flights are to start in May 2026and tickets will go on sale from this year's autumn – the airlines informed on June 3. The connection will be implemented four times a week using aircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamlinerwhich are in the fleet of the merger of the fusion.

Alaska Airlines plans to add a series of international long -range international routes to the end of the decade.

Andrew Harrison, commercial director of Alaska Airlines, said: “We are seriously approaching the construction of a global interchange port in Seattle and we will serve markets with the greatest demand.”

Alaska's authorities have long announced a desire for global expansion, and on June 3 they added that many members of the Mileage Plan loyalty program asked for a merger to Rome from the Hub in Seattle.

Italy remains a popular direction, which prompted much larger rivals, such as Delta and United, to increase the number of connections – including new direct flights to Sicily and to smaller cities on the continent.

In May, Alaska Airlines launched a connection to the International Airport of Narita in Tokyo, and in September plans to start flights to Seoul. Harrison announced that flights to Tokyo reach about 80% of the occupancy and added that he expected that connections to two Asian capitals will increase revenues from Cargo transport.

To support these routes, the line must obtain the consent of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to cover the Hawaiian Airlines fleet with one operational certificate. Alaska expects him to get it in the fourth quarter of this year.

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