On September 17, 2024, Ryanair, Italy’s top airline, unveiled plans to launch 10 new winter routes from Milan Malpensa Airport to Athens, Budapest, Paris, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Mallorca, Marrakech, Reggio Calabria, Rzeszow, and Tallinn. The airline will also base an eighth aircraft at Malpensa, driving a 10% increase in traffic, reaching 4.5 million passengers annually.
Meanwhile, Ryanair’s Milan Bergamo operations will see a reduction in based aircraft from 24 to 20, causing a 5% decline in seat capacity. This shift comes as Ryanair reallocates resources to lower-cost airports like Trieste and Reggio Calabria, which have abolished municipal surcharges to stimulate growth.
Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary emphasised the airline’s continued investment in Italian tourism, advocating for the abolition of municipal surcharges at all Italian airports. He cited the success in Friuli Venezia Giulia and Calabria, regions that removed these surcharges and saw rapid growth in Ryanair traffic. O’Leary called on the Italian government to eliminate the surcharge nationwide, which would enable Ryanair to invest $4 billion in Italy, add 40 new aircraft, 250 routes, and 1,500 jobs.
