After announcing the new routes scheduled from Rome, the CEO of Ryanair, Michael O'Learyhe announced ten new destinations summer from Milan airports Bergamo (five from Orio al Serio and five from Malpensa). From Malpensa you can reach Tallinn, Marrakech, Paris Beauvais, Athens and Budapest while from Orio al Serio the destinations are Beni Mellal, Castellon, Sarajevo, Dubrovnik and Skiathos.
The EasyJet communicated theexpansion of its routes to and from Italy for the next summer season. They will be introduced four new connections international flights, two new ones from Milan Malpensa and Naples to Siti airport (Island of Crete), and one from Milan Malpensa to Gran Canaria and from Bari to Geneva.
Ryanair: two new bases ready in Reggio Calabria and Trieste
During the press conference in Milan, O'Leary outlined the growth goals for Milan Bergamo, a key airport for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Starting from the 2024 summer schedule, which will begin at the end of March, Ryanair plans to offer a total of 113 destinations, with 23 aircraft based, of which more than half are Boeing 737 Max 8. There will be 31 aircraft based, of which 23 in Bergamo and 8 in Milan Malpensa.
Bergamo confirms itself as well third major airport in Ryanair's network, after London Stansted and Dublin, and the first in continental Europe.
But the news announced by O'Leary does not end with Rome and Milan. Ryanair is, in fact, ready to announce theopening of two new bases in Italy. It will open its own soon eighteenth base in Trieste and in the coming weeks, the inauguration of the nineteenth base in Reggio Calabria.
“The good news – explained O' Leary – is that our investment in Italy does not only concern Rome and Milan, but also the other regions, bringing tourism everywhere. We want to grow by 50% in the next 5 years from 50 to 75/80 million passengers, but the boarding tax must be abolished, because it weighs entirely on passengers and hinders growth". O'Leary plans to open “4-5 more bases” in Italy in the next few years.
According to the Corriere della Sera, also, the carrier will introduce links for the first time on 'Olbia-Costa Smeralda airport, initially during the summer season (from the end of March to October), thus extending its presence in all three Sardinian ports. O'Leary would also be considering the possibility of operating at theSalerno airport, scheduled to open in July and already the subject of interest from easyJet.
In this way, in Italy, Ryanair would not only fly to three airports: two due to technical limitations of the runways (Florence, Foggia) and for a commercial decision (Milan Linate).
For summer 2024, Ryanair will be present in 250 European airports, of which 93 will be company bases. The goal for Italy is to transport 60 million passengers.
Ryanair: an Italian on the board of directors
In addition to the new destinations Ryanair also announced that Roberta Neri, former CEO of Enav, from 2024 February XNUMX will join the Group's Board of Directors as a non-executive director from 2024 February XNUMX. “Roberta brings with her considerable aviation, regulatory and business experience,” Ryanair chairman Stan McCarthy commented in a statement. “As a senior figure in Italian business we look forward to Roberta making a significant contribution to our board.”
EasyJet: negative quarter due to conflict in the Middle East
EasyJet has meanwhile opened the dance among European low-cost carriers in the publication of quarterly reports (Thursday 25 January will be Wizz Air's turn and Monday 29 January will be Ryanair's turn).
The British low-cost airline reported a loss of £126 million in the first quarter, an improvement over losses of 133 million in the same period the previous year. Turnover was £1,8 billion (+22%), with ancillary revenue at £486 million (+20%).
EasyJet provides a annual reduction in losses in the first semester, despite the idirect impact of approximately £40 million (and further indirect impacts) as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. Flights to Israel and Jordan are currently paused.
The company highlighted a 48% increase in the number of customers during the holiday period compared to the previous year, generating a profit of 30 million of pounds, marking an increase of 131% year-on-year.
The airline anticipates that the cost per seat, excluding fuel, will remain essentially unchanged in the first half of 2024, with an expected increase of approximately 7% in fuel costs. EasyJet expects to receive the delivery of 16 Airbus aircraft, thus maintaining the planned number and increasing the size of its fleet, unlike other carriers.
“We got one better performance in the quarter, demonstrating the strength of demand for our brand and our network – he commented Johan Lundgren, CEO of easyJet – The popularity of easyJet holidays also continues to grow, with 48% more customers in the period.”
“Let's see one positive booking momentum for summer 2024, with travel remaining a priority for consumers – he added – Flight and holiday bookings took off strongly during the traditional busy end-of-year sales period, as customers chose to secure their summer holidays to destinations favorites such as Spain and Portugal along with more distant destinations such as Greece and Turkey”.
