Alitalia and Etihad Airways have unveiled two aircraft in a unique Expo Milano 2015 livery to mark their co-sponsorship of the global event.
Expo 2015 will be held in Milan with an estimated 20 million visitors expected to attend the event of which more than a third will travel to the northern Italian city by air.
The airlines held joint simultaneous events at Malpensa Airport in Milan and Abu Dhabi Airport to unveil the two Airbus A330-200 aircraft, to audiences gathered in both locations as well as thousands watching online around the world.
The Alitalia A330-200 and the Etihad Airways A330-200, both in the eye-catching special livery, will operate their first flights tomorrow, Tuesday 21 October, between Rome and Abu Dhabi and will carry the Expo 2015 “feeding the planet, energy for life” message worldwide.
“I am delighted to launch the Expo 2015 collaboration with Alitalia in Milan and in Abu Dhabi. From today, these two aircraft, in this eye-catching livery, will spread the important global message of Expo 2015 to people on six continents”, said James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways.
Flight frequencies to and from Milan are set to increase during Expo 2015 when Alitalia will commence daily flights between Milan Malpensa and Abu Dhabi.
Alitalia and Etihad Airways will link Milan with 560 unique online and codeshare destinations across the globe.
In addition to the joint liveried aircraft, Alitalia and Etihad Airways are offering a number of business initiatives including all-inclusive packages and special fares targeted at families, seniors, and business travelers for Expo 2015.
Alitalia, www.alitalia.com
Etihad Airways, www.etihad.com
Expo 2015, www.expo2015.org