Blue Bird Airways Expands Direct Flights From Israel to Four Italian Cities Starting September

Greek airline Blue Bird Airways is significantly expanding its direct flight offerings between Israel and Italy, launching four new routes from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport starting in September. In addition to its existing daily service to Bergamo near Milan, the airline will add flights to Rome, Bologna, and Naples, with some routes operating daily.

The Rome route will begin on September 3 with three weekly flights, increasing to daily service from September 13. Flights to Bologna start September 2, operating three times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Naples flights commence September 16 twice weekly, with an additional Monday flight added from September 25. Bergamo flights, launched in May, continue daily. Blue Bird Airways and its partner TUS will operate these routes.

Ticket prices start at 270 euros for round trips, with current fares found on the airline’s website ranging from 276 euros for Rome to 310 euros for Naples, excluding carry-on luggage fees. Amit Sagie, Vice President of Blue Bird Airways and TUS Air, cited strong demand for flights to Italy and noted the expansion aims to provide travelers access to northern, central, and southern Italian destinations, coinciding with the Jewish High Holidays.

This expansion complements other recent increases in direct flights from Israel to Italy, such as Sun d’Or’s new twice-weekly service to Verona starting October 25, with fares from $299 including carry-on and hand luggage. However, recent months have also seen troubling incidents in Italy involving antisemitism, including a circulated document urging the reporting of Jewish and Israeli tourists to map "Zionist tourism." The document was removed after intervention by Italy’s antisemitism commissioner, with warnings issued by the Jewish community about rising antisemitism in the country.