Ryanair announces new 2024/25 winter flights

Ryanair has announced the introduction of 10 new winter routes from Milan Malpensa to destinations such as Athens, Budapest, Paris, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Mallorca, Marrakech, Reggio Calabria, Rzeszow and Tallinn. In addition, the addition of an eighth aircraft based at Malpensa for the 2024 winter season will bring the total number of weekly flights to 14, increasing traffic by 10% and reaching 4.5 million passengers per year.

 

However, the Milan Bergamo base will see a reduction from 24 to 20 aircraft, resulting in a 5% loss of available seats and the cancellation of five routes, as Ryanair will shift some of its capacity to airports with lower operating costs, such as Trieste  and  Reggio Calabria, which have recently abolished the municipal surcharge to boost traffic growth.

 

In 2024, Ryanair in Italy serves 32 airports with 19 bases, and carried more than 60M passengers. From Milan Malpensa it has 8 based aircraft and serves 42 routes, carrying 4.5M passengers. While from Milan Bergamo, with today's announcement, the carrier has 20 aircraft based and connects 86 destinations. 

 

While Ryanair continues to invest to increase traffic and tourism in Italy, offering lower fares than other airlines, it criticizes the presence of the municipal surcharge in many Italian airports, considering it an obstacle to the growth of the sector. Ryanair has asked the Italian Government and the Regions to eliminate this tax in all national airports, as already done by Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Calabria, to allow rapid growth with new routes, tourism and job opportunities.

 

 

Michael O'Leary, CEO of Ryanair Group, said: "We are thrilled to announce the addition of an eighth aircraft and 10 new routes from Malpensa for the winter season. Unfortunately, growth in Milan Bergamo will be limited due to higher operating costs than other airports that have abolished the municipal surcharge. We call on the Italian government to follow the example of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Calabria, eliminating this tax to stimulate the growth of air traffic, visitors and jobs."

 

Ryanair has promised that, with the abolition of the municipal tax in all Italian airports, the company would invest 4 billion dollars in the country, adding 40 new aircraft, opening 250 new routes and creating 1,500 new jobs in Italy.