Aeroporti di Roma and China Southern Airlines jointly announce the launch, as from December 16, of a new direct connection between Leonardo Da Vinci airport and the cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan.  The new flights towards two of the richest and most rapidly growing cities of China will create new opportunities for economic and cultural exchange between Italy and the Asian giant.  For China Southern, Rome airport will become the first active destination in Southern Europe.

The flight will operate from Rome to Guangzhou, via Wuhan, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. From Rome, flight CZ646 will departs at 11:35 and lands in Wuhan at 06:25 the following day, finally reaching Guangzhou at 09.45. Return flight CZ645 departs Guangzhou at 21:30, Wuhan then at 00.45, and arrives in Rome at 05:35 (all times shown are local times).

An Airbus A330-200 luxury wide-body will fly the route. The plane has a spacious and comfortable 4 classes cabin layout, with economy, premium economy, business and first class.

With the arrival of this new operator, Rome Fiumicino will become the only airport in the EU to host all the five major Chinese airlines with direct links.

The new flights will be operated three days a week, and will contribute to increase passenger traffic volumes between Rome and Asia, which have been steadily growing.  In the period January-August 2015, indeed, the passenger traffic between Rome Fiumicino and Asian destinations increased by 12% in comparison to the previous year.  In particular, the same period saw a growth by 10% of passengers travelling from Fiumicino to China, with a further impulse recorded between April and August 2015, which saw a 16% increase.  In general, between January and August 2015, Fiumicino and Ciampino both confirmed the growing trend on the overall number of passengers in transit in the airports of the "Rome System", with an increase by 7%.