Delta Air Lines’ new flight to Rome should benefit from the many tourists expected to visit the city for the “Christian Jubilee” next year, according to Fortunato Celi Zullo, the former director of the Italian Trade Commission in Atlanta. After serving five years here, Dr. Celi Zullo has been assigned to Rome where he will be the assistant to the CEO of the commission’s headquarters.
He told GlobalFax last week during a farewell party held at the World Trade Center downtown that the business ties between the Southeast and Italy would be further strengthened should a direct Atlanta-Milan flight be approved.
A non-stop, daily flight between Atlanta and Rome was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation last week over competing applications from American Airlines and U.S. Airways. No U.S. carrier currently offers service from any city south of Washington, D.C.
The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and other civic and business organizations strongly promoted the selection of Delta for the new flight which stemmed from U.S.-Italy negotiations and is to begin June 1.
Delta plans to initiate daily nonstop service from Atlanta to Milan as soon as the required regulatory authority is available. It also plans to extend its second daily New York-Rome flight, currently offered on a summer seasonal basis, to a year-round service.
Besides promoting closer ties between Italy and the Southeast, Dr. Celi Zullo also said that the Atlanta-Rome flights would benefit ties with other countries near Italy including Greece, Tunisia and Morocco.
For more information, call Delta’s corporate communications office at (404) 715-3108.