New Verona service starts May 2014

Etihad Regional has opened bookings for a brand new route from Cambridge International Airport to Verona in Italy. The flights will depart weekly on Saturday afternoons between 17 May and 25 October 2014.

The new services, operated by Etihad Regional’s SAAB 2000 aircraft, will fly to the city’s Villafranca ‘Valerio Catullo’ International Airport, which is less than three miles from the centre of Verona. Situated in the Veneto region of Italy, the UNESCO World Heritage city of Verona is a fantastic destination in its own right but is also the principle gateway to the Italian Lakes and an easy transfer to the Adriatic Sea and the Mediterranean’s top cruise line departure port, at Venice.

As a result of the new flights, leading lakes and mountains operator Inghams has already been promoting a wide range of summer sun packages to the resorts of Lake Garda, whilst local cruise specialist Ponders Travel will be selling a new range of Adriatic and Mediterranean fly-cruises with pre and post-voyage breaks in Venice and Verona, direct from Cambridge.

David Surley, head of business & route development at Cambridge International Airport, commented: “Verona is one of our top wish-list destinations, so we’re delighted to see direct flights take-off from May. This new route is the only scheduled air service to Verona from the East, so we fully expect the flights to be very popular – it is one of our most requested destinations and previous charter flights to this area of Italy have departed fully booked! Over 10,000 passengers fly between Verona and our region every year, most having to travel a long way to and from other UK airports, so this is excellent convenience. We are also thrilled to be working with Inghams again on this new summer service, after an excellent winter ski season for them using direct Geneva flights.”

Peter Moor, head of scheduled aviation at Inghams Holidays, is also delighted with the new route, saying; “Inghams are excited to be the major tour operator for the first Cambridge to Verona scheduled service, offering excellent access to the beautiful resorts of Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. Guests can enjoy the wonderful Garda scenery, enjoy day-trips to Venice and even take in the opera with a visit to nearby Verona itself. We are pleased to be able to add Cambridge to our extensive network of regional flights to the Italian Lakes during summer, making travel to Lake Garda much more convenient for all those located in the East of England.”

Also welcoming the new Verona flights and ease of access to the port of Venice, Clare Dudley, managing director of cruise specialist Ponders Travel commented, “These new flights to Italy open up a plethora of great holiday options and cruising has never been more popular. It’s a short transfer to Venice and there’s an enormous choice of Adriatic and Mediterranean sailings to choose from, something for everyone, in fact - from intimate and luxury yacht-style cruises that visit smaller out-of-the-way ports of call, to the many fabulous and grand scale luxury cruise ships that take you to popular places all around the Med. Very accessible from Verona, which is really great news!”

Passengers to Verona will travel through Cambridge International Airport’s newly refurbished terminal, featuring new facilities, including a business lounge, Costa Coffee, complimentary Wi-Fi and lounge-style ambience. The airport is located only three miles from Cambridge city centre and offers on-airport car parking and good public transport access. It is also close to all major road networks meaning regional centres such as Peterborough and Ipswich are reached within an hour.

Lead-in fares to Verona start from £100 per person each way.