MONTREAL — Air Canada and ITA Airways have reached a new milestone in their growing partnership with the launch of a codeshare agreement that enhances travel options between Canada, Italy and a wide range of international destinations.

Effective July 21, the agreement allows both airlines to offer smoother connections for travellers by placing their respective codes on select flights. Air Canada will add its AC code to select ITA Airways-operated flights from Rome-Fiumicino to 10 cities across Italy, Africa, Israel and Albania. In return, ITA Airways will place its AZ code on select Air Canada-operated flights from Toronto Pearson to key destinations across Canada and the United States.

“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with ITA Airways through our new codeshare agreement that complements our robust network to Italy,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and President, Cargo at Air Canada. “With work underway to facilitate ITA Airways’ entry into Star Alliance, we are developing significant partnership synergies. This will form the foundation for a strong, long-term relationship between our two flag-carrying airlines.”

Under the agreement, Air Canada customers will gain access to ITA’s routes from Rome to Lamezia Terme, Palermo, Catania, Florence, Bari, Cairo, Tunis, Algiers, Tirana and Tel Aviv (with Tel Aviv service currently suspended). Meanwhile, ITA Airways passengers will be able to connect from Toronto Pearson to Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and St. John’s, as well as to Boston, Orlando, Dallas and Fort Lauderdale in the U.S. Routes to Tunis and Algiers are pending government approval.

“The codeshare agreement with Air Canada is a great step forward for our growth strategy,” said Joerg Eberhart, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of ITA Airways. “This partnership improves connectivity for our passengers traveling between Italy and North America, our first market beyond Italy, serving both leisure and business travellers. Moreover, it enables us to offer seamless connections for passengers of Italian origin residing in Canada and the United States, facilitating their journeys to Italy and beyond, while providing them the opportunity to fully experience the excellence of Made in Italy – a heritage that ITA Airways proudly represents as an ambassador worldwide.”

Both airlines are working toward reciprocal earning and redemption capabilities for their respective loyalty programs. ITA Airways is also preparing to join the Star Alliance network, with full membership expected in early 2026.

The new codeshare agreement builds on Air Canada’s expanding presence in Italy. This summer, the airline is operating up to 39 weekly flights and more than 13,000 weekly seats to Italy. In May, it introduced a new route between Montreal and Naples, adding to its existing non-stop services to Rome, Milan and Venice.

Travellers flying with Air Canada also benefit from rail connections through its partnership with Trenitalia, Italy’s largest train operator. With access to high-speed, regional, overnight and international rail routes, passengers can reach up to 30 additional destinations across the country.

For its part, ITA Airways is operating a network of 59 destinations this summer, including 16 intercontinental, 27 international and 16 domestic routes. During the peak travel season from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, it also serves 12 additional seasonal Mediterranean destinations, such as Ibiza, Majorca, Menorca, several Greek islands and the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria. ITA has further extended its reach through codeshare agreements with Lufthansa Group carriers – Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Air Dolomiti – connecting passengers to over 100 additional global destinations.