Phoenix based US Airways has announced that it will launch new non stop scheduled service between Charlotte, North Carolina and Rom (FCO). The new route will commence from May 13th next year and be operated with A330-300 aircraft on a daily rotation.Charlotte is currently connected to Europe with two US Airways year round services, to Frankfurt and London Gatwick, however there is also seasonal flying to Paris Charles de Gaulle.

The annoucement follows several route cuts by US, primarily out of its Philadelphia hub. Charlotte could become a more important European gateway for US, as its connection banks to Florida are more frequent and with a shorter sector length, meaning that high summer seasonal demand into Florida can be connected via the Carolina base.

There has been talk of US also launching some European sectors from its headquarters in Phoenix however sector length to Europe remain a problem and the lack of appropiate equipment.