Italy’s national carrier, Alitalia, has re-entered the Chinese market with the launch of the new non-stop service between Milano Malpanesa (Milan) and Shanghai.

The flight, launched with the inauguration of Expo Milano 2015, represents the latest major investment by Alitalia in Milan, following the introduction of the direct flight to Abu Dhabi in March, and the addition of daily flights to Tokyo.

With these new connections, Alitalia aims to further strengthen its range of intercontinental routes.

“Today we celebrate the return of Alitalia in China with direct flights and we do it by connection the economic capitals of the two countries,” said Alitalia chairman Luca di Montezemolo. “This is a remarkable return for Alitalia, which today start to increase again its presence in the Far East.”

“The Milan-Shanghai route is the third long-haul service we have launched in just over a month,” added Alitalia’s CEO, Silvano Cassano. “Alitalia continues to focus on the development of intercontinental routes, in particular to the Far East, the area of the world with the highest growth rates and where Alitalia intends to further invest. Within this year the connections with Seoul and Beijing will be launched and, together with the presentation of the new brand and aircraft configuration, this represents the most concrete evidence of the amibition of Alitalia’s relaunch plan.”

From Milan Malpensa, the new Alitalia flight to Shanghai departs every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. From Shanghai Pudong, the Alitalia flights depart on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The flights are operated on 250-seat Airbus A330 aircraft configured in three classes, business class, premium economy, and economy. www.alitalia.com