Ryanair will add three aircraft across the Bergamo and Malpensa airports in Milan, as part of a “record” schedule unveiled for this winter.
The move will bring Ryanair’s Milan-based aircraft to a total of 31, representing a $3.1bn investment.
Bergamo will gain two aircraft and Malpensa one, bringing Ryanair’s total number of aircraft at Bergamo to 22 and at Malpensa nine. These include eight next-generation aircraft.
This winter, Ryanair said it will operate 120 routes to and from Milan, including five new routes.
From Bergamo, Ryanair will offer 80 routes, including increased frequencies on 30 existing services, such as Amman, Trapani, Warsaw, and Pescara.
From Malpensa, Ryanair will offer 40 routes, including new services to Bratislava, Gothenburg, Pescara, Warsaw, and Plovdiv.
The expanded schedule is expected to carry 19 million passengers annually (an uplift of 4% year over year) and support over 15,400 jobs across the Lombardy region.
However, Ryanair said that “even greater opportunities” could be unlocked for Italian aviation, tourism, and jobs if the government scrapped its municipal tax on airports.
Several regions, including Abruzzo, Calabria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Sicily, have already scrapped the tax, but Ryanair is calling on the central government to take action.
The airline pointed to the examples of Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia, and Albania, all of whom have abolished aviation taxes and reduced airport fees to attract growth.
If the tax is removed, Ryanair said it will respond by adding an additional 40 aircraft (an investment of $4bn) as well as 250 new routes in Italy.
This would allow the airline to carry 20 million additional passengers annually, and would likely create 15,000 additional jobs, the company said.
Meanwhile, Ryanair has confirmed that it will reduce its Rome-based aircraft by one unit for the winter 2025 season, bringing its total Rome-based aircraft to 16.
The airline confirmed that it will deliver “zero” traffic growth from Rome this winter, citing flight caps, increased airport fees, and the municipal tax.
Ciampino is currently capped at 65 flights per day, both Ciampino and Fiumicino are increasing their airport fees by 44% and 15% respectively by 2028, and in April this year the central government raised the municipal tax.
“These harmful tax and fee policies make Rome uncompetitive compared to competitor EU markets like Sweden, Hungary, Albania, and many Italian regions,” said Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO.
“Ryanair calls on the government to urgently scrap the artificial Ciampino daily flight cap and abolish the harmful municipal tax.”