ITA Airways Commences Houston to Rome Flights as of May 1, 2026

Updated: June 11, 2026, 7:16am CDT

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ITA’s New Route Between Houston and Rome
Final Thoughts

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Howdy and ciao a tutti! ITA Airways has expanded its U.S. presence with a brand-new nonstop route between Rome, Italy, and Houston, Texas.

That flight started today, May 1, 2026. Surprisingly, these 2 cities haven’t had nonstop service between them before, but ITA has changed that.

Let’s take a look at the details.

ITA’s New Route Between Houston and Rome

ITA Airways has started a brand-new route between Italy and the U.S., flying between Rome Fiumicino (FCO) and Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH).

This represents the ninth North American destination for the Italian carrier, joining Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Toronto (YYZ), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

ITA Airways inaugural FCO IAH water cannon — The Airbus A330-900neo received a water cannon salute on its rainy arrival in Houston.

At the inaugural ceremony on May 1 to welcome the flight from Rome, Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for the Houston Airport System, mentioned that “With all the Europeans that are going to be coming into this country for the World Cup, and all the Houstonians that are going to be able to go out this summer and enjoy Europe, this is a great connection, particuarly between the Rome airport and the Houston airport.”

Massimo Allegri, regional general manager Americas at ITA Airways, expressed how “From the moment that you get on board an ITA flight, you are already in Italy.”

At the event, guests enjoyed Italian delicacies like tomato caprese skewers, bruschetta, pasta salad, and, of course, pizza. After opening remarks and a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and cake-cutting, passengers prepared to board, where they received a goodie bag featuring Houston-themed socks and an ITA inaugural flight tag.

ITA Airways inaugural FCO IAH buffet at gate

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Fanfare at the gate.

As of May 1, 2026, ITA is flying its Airbus A330-900neo on the route 3x weekly. AvGeeks in Houston have something to be excited about, as this is the only A339 flying into Houston. In June 2026, the frequency will increase to 5x weekly. Flight schedules are as follows:

Rome to Houston

May 1 to 31, 2026: 3 weekly flights (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday), departing Rome at 10:20 a.m. and arriving in Houston at 2:40 p.m. (local time)
June 1 through October 24, 2026: 5 weekly flights (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) at the same times

Houston to Rome

May 1 to 31, 2026: 3 weekly flights (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday), departing Houston at 6:10 p.m. and arriving in Rome at 11:50 a.m. the following day (local time)
June 1 through October 24, 2026: 5 weekly flights (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) at the same times

Flights are now on sale and can be booked on ita-airways.com.

ITA Airways inaugural FCO IAH priority check in — ITA’s priority check-in at IAH Terminal E.

Hot Tip:

It’s been a busy year for ITA Airways, as Lufthansa bought a major stake in the carrier, the airline left SkyTeam, it joined Star Alliance, ended its Volare rewards program, and joined the Miles & More program with fellow Lufthansa Group airlines. Flights to Houston, a major United hub, make sense within this context.

Final Thoughts

ITA Airways has started a brand-new route between Rome and Houston, making this the carrier’s ninth North American destination.

This gives travelers in Texas one more option for getting to Italy — and from there to Europe, Africa, and beyond.