Alaska Airlines to make Europe debut with Rome flights next year

Alaska Airlines plans to start its first flights to Europe next year with nonstop service to Rome from Seattle.

The Seattle-based carrier’s new route is enabled by its acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines — and its fleet of long-haul jets — last year.

Flights are set to begin in May and will go on sale in the fall, Alaska said Tuesday. The four-times-a-week service will use Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jets, which are in the combined company’s fleet after the merger.

Alaska plans to add a host of long-haul international destinations through the end of the decade from Seattle.

“We are serious about building a global gateway out of Seattle, and we will serve the major demand markets,” said Alaska’s chief commercial officer, Andrew Harrison.

Alaska’s leaders have said they want to expand globally, and added Tuesday that many members of the airline’s Mileage Plan loyalty program have requested Rome service from its Seattle hub.

Italy has remained a popular destination, prompting much larger rivals Delta and United to ramp up service there, including with new nonstops to Sicily and smaller cities on the mainland.

Alaska launched service to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport in May and plans to start service to Seoul in September. Harrison said the Tokyo flights are running about 80% full and added that he expects the flights to the two Asian capitals to boost cargo revenue.

To operate the routes, the airline needs Federal Aviation Administration approval to have the combined fleet from Hawaiian on a single operating certificate, which Alaska said it expects in the fourth quarter.