Milan Bergamo welcomes Ryanair’s Boeing 737 MAX 8-200

Milan Bergamo’s revolutionary revival

Milan Bergamo Airport is set to welcome the revolutionary new Boeing 737-8200 later this month, with airline partner Ryanair. Tagged the ‘gamechanger’ of aircraft, the Irish ultra-low-cost carrier will introduce the first of its new fleet at the Italian airport on 20 July. The new variant 737 MAX, boasting a larger capacity with 197 seats (vs 189 of the standard 737-800), 40% less noise and 16% less CO2 emissions, will play a crucial role in the regrowth of passenger traffic in the Lombardy region.

At a conference with Ryanair’s CEO, Eddie Wilson last week, Giacomo Cattaneo, Director of Commercial Aviation, SACBO commented: “We recognise the significance of the arrival of Ryanair’s new aircraft, the first of this type not only at Milan Bergamo but in Italy as a whole. Before the end of the summer season we expect up to five 737-8200 to be based at our airport, and another five by mid-2022, progressively substituting the currently based B737-800.” Cattaneo added: “Ryanair’s increased fleet, lower fares and greener flights will be key to the recovery of the local economy, boosting tourism for our region and providing greater connectivity for Italian travellers.”

Following the announcement of seven new destinations – Banja Luka, Belfast City, Kos, Menorca, Preveza, Suceava, and Zagreb – Ryanair will operate 105 routes from Milan Bergamo this summer, offering more than 600 weekly options to those in the airport’s substantial catchment.

New partners, new routes and returns

After the historic occasion of welcoming easyJet’s first flight to Milan Bergamo on 28 May, the airport’s new airline partner has confirmed further growth of its national and international network from Lombardy. Joining the previously launched links to Olbia and Malaga, the low-cost airline has announced noteworthy connections to Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris Charles de Gaulle from 6 September. Operating three times weekly to the Netherlands and four times weekly to France, easyJet passengers will benefit from a total of 70 connections at the large hubs in both countries.

The coming winter season will see Milan Bergamo’s development continue with the arrival of its latest confirmed partner, Eurowings, as the Lufthansa subsidiary introduces its inaugural link to Düsseldorf. Initially launching a four-times-weekly service from 31 October, the German carrier will increase frequency to six times weekly by February 2022. “Eurowings’ entry into our airline roll call will be a large boost to our connectivity with the noteworthy economic areas of Düsseldorf and the industrial belt of the Ruhr,” explains Cattaneo.

The Lombardy gateway’s ongoing resumption of services has recently seen Blue Panorama return to its network. From early July, the Italian airline restarted twice-weekly operations to Lampedusa, increasing flight options to the island in the Mediterranean Sea for Milan Bergamo’s customers.