Lumiwings is adding flights from Foggia to Milan, Turin, Verona and Catania starting from the end of September.

Overall there will be five weekly flights to Milan and two each to Turin, Verona and Catania. Subsequently these will increase to seven weekly flights to Milan, four to Catania, and three each to Turin and Verona. The new routes will be operated by a Boeing 737-300 with 139 seats.

Exceeding expectations 

"Over the last few months we have worked in synergy with Aeroporti di Puglia to meet not only the company's requests, but above all those from locals and visitors – said Lumiwings sales manager Chiara Rebughini -  and  I think we have  exceeded expectations. There were requests for flights to Milan, and we have also added Verona, Turin and Catania. We felt the need for more routes, in order to guarantee a range of connections between the North and the South.”

Aeroitalia will be a low-cask carrier says president Germán Efromovich and, starting on 9 July, Forlì’s Luigi Ridolfi airport will be the hub for Italy’s newest airline.

Speaking at a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Castrocaro, shareholder and non-executive president Efromovich, former owner of the Colombian company Avianca (South America's second largest airline, ed.) said he was “pleased to invest in this ambitious project for which we have created a network to meet the needs of a dynamic territory such as the Forlì area and the Romagna’s Adriatic Riviera. Aeroitalia's model is not low cost, neither is it high cost. I define it as a low cask (cost per available seat kilometre, ed.) which means with a very high cost efficiency at more than competitive prices, while strictly adhering to the highest standards of safety, comfort and service." 

“An aggressive pricing policy with strong customer focus”

Aeroitalia’s managing director Gaetano Intrieri Forlì's noted that the choice of Forl’ “is a good opportunity even if we are in a very competitive and challenging context, between Rimini and Bologna airports. But we will offer a different kind service to that of our competitors, through an aggressive pricing policy with strong customer focus.” 

23-kilos and cabin luggage included in all fares

Aeroitalia’s fares start at €29 one way and are already on sale online. Unlike the vast majority of carriers operating short and medium-haul flights, a 23-kilo hold luggage and an eight-kilo cabin luggage are always included in the fares, even in the basic class. 

Ten destinations in Italy, Malta and Greece

Initially Aeroitalia will operate from Forlì on eight destinations in Italy: Alghero, Brindisi, Catania, Lamezia, Lampedusa, Olbia and Trapani, with two to three flights a week and four on Naples, and with two international destinations, Malta and Zante. Operating with a 189-seat Boeing 737-800, by the end of the summer there will be three Boeings in the fleet and the aim is to reach 10 aircraft in the short term. Initially it was planned to introduce frequencies to North and South America as early as 2023, but Intrieri confirmed that given the sluggish recovery of the long-haul sector, Aeroitalia's transatlantic flights will probably not start before 2024-2025.  

Jet2.com is getting ahead of the game and introducing flights from Newcastle Airport to Verona this summer.  The weekly services to the Venetian city will be operated every Wednesday from 10 May 2023 until the end of September.

Holiday packages include airport transfers

With this addition, Jet2.com's network of summer destinations from Newcastle rises to 125, of which 34 are purely sunshine' destinations. In addition to the flight-only options, holiday packages are available with Jet2CityBreaks. These include flights, 22 kilos of checked baggage, transfers to and from the airport and a choice of 2 to 5-star hotels.

“Verona is a fantastic city break and close to Lake Garda”

"The demand for flights, city breaks and holidays from Newcastle Airport continues to be extremely strong," says Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays. "The introduction of Verona to our operations this summer offers a fantastic city break option for those who want to visit a city packed with history, culture and beauty with the added benefit of having beautiful Lake Garda close by."

A trip of a lifetime on the luxurious Orient Express or, more simply, the comfort of a high-speed train: train travel across Italy is the true protagonist of this new spring. If, in the first case, it is the unquestionable charm of the historic train that conditions your choice (the most recent example being the Arsenale-Trenitalia and Accor La Dolce Vita Orient Express) as well as being a way to indulge in eco-sustainable and slow travel, on the other hand, for short and medium distances it is comfort and speed that win out.  

And so what was once a gold mine for airlines  - first and foremost Alitalia, followed Ryanair and easyJet, with alternating modalities and fortunes -  the Milan Linate-Rome Fiumicino route has had to yield to a competitor...without wings. The train. Suffice it to say that between 2005 and 2018 passengers flying between the two cities fell by 80%. And while the overall travel time is quite similar (around three hours for both the train and the plane), the central location of Rome's Termini station compared to Fiumicino airport makes a huge difference, so passengers go for the train. 

The result is surprising with 85% of all travellers opting for high-speed trains over flights, for a total of over 3.5 million passengers. In short, the train beats the plane, at least on the Milan-Rome route, which has long since ceded the crown of Italy's busiest air route... 

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

Vueling is betting on Italy with a network of 56 summer routes on 16 Italian airports. From Genoa the IAG group airline is operating London Gatwick flights and two other direct international connections: to Barcelona (up to 3 weekly frequencies) and to Paris Orly (up to 2 weekly frequencies). The Genoa-London Gatwick flights will start on 3 July, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with ideal timetables both for passengers headed to the UK and for tourists wishing to visit Liguria. 

Vueling has been operating on Genoa Airport for ten years

"We are extremely happy about this important new development which brings Liguria closer to the UK capital," said Paolo Odone, president of Genoa Airport. "We have established excellent relations with Vueling, which has been operating at our airport for ten years, also thanks to the involvement of the Savona tourism promotion board, the Chamber of Commerce of the Rivieras, the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, and the Genoa City Council.

“Increasingly sustainable flight experiences”

"Vueling continues to focus on Italy, confirming itself as a key carrier for the country- commented Jordi Pla Pintre, Vueling’s network director – our aim is to maintain a strong position in the market and continue to offer attractive routes to our passengers, with dedicated services for increasingly sustainable flight experiences.”

Direct Air Canada flights are stepping up as the flag carrier rebuilds its network of direct connections between Italy and Canada.

The airline has reactivated both the Venice-Montreal (twice-weekly flights operating up to 28 October) and the Venice-Toronto flight, which operates three days a week up to 29 October 2022.

In addition to the seasonal connections from Venice to Toronto and Montreal, Air Canada operates non-stop flights from Rome Fiumicino to Toronto and Montreal, while from 21 May, the annual connections from Milan Malpensa to Montreal will also resume.

Air Canada flies to 46 airports in the United States

Flights from Venice to Toronto and Montreal are operated with Airbus A330-300s, which can seat up to 297 passengers, with a choice of three classes of service: Economy, Premium Economy and Air Canada Signature Class, with seats that fully recline to become beds. All flights have been scheduled to optimize the extensive connectivity of Air Canada's North American network, which includes as many as 46 airports in the United States.

Business travel is expected to bounce back

Air Canada expects to go through the 2022 summer season with even less capacity globally than pre-pandemic, but still recovering significantly compared to last year, when numerous anti-Covid restrictions were still in place in various countries around the world.  "This summer, we will be at almost 80% of 2019, and we aim to be close to full recovery during 2024," said Air Canada's chief commercial officer Lucie Guillemette. The CCO forecasts positive yields over 2019 for corporate travel now at 50% of 2019 levels and expected to rise to 60% by June.

Westjet is operating up to three weekly flights on the Calgary-Rome route having inaugurated the service from Rome Fiumicino to Calgary on 8 May. The flight, initially scheduled for May 2020 and postponed due to the Covid pandemic, will operate for the entire summer up to three times a week with a 320-seat Boeing 787/900 Dreamliner.  From it’s hub in Calgary WestJet has invested significantly in transatlantic connectivity from Alberta, with a 43% increase in flights to Europe compared to 2020.

Tourists from Canada now have non-stop access to Rome

“The launch of our highly anticipated Rome-Calgary service is an incredible milestone for both WestJet and our passengers, we have been waiting for this moment for more than two years," said Chris Hedlin, WestJet’s network vice president. “The development of tourism between Alberta and Europe is hugely important for the economic recovery of our industry. It's no surprise that many tourists are eager to visit Rome and now have direct access thanks to our new non-stop flights.”

In 2019 over one million passengers flew between Canada and Italy

Federico Scriboni, Aeroporti di Roma’a head of aviation business development said the launch of the direct flight to Calgary is the result of a long collaboration with WestJet, and marks an important step towards the development of connectivity between Italy and Canada. “With over one million passengers to and from Italy in 2019, the Canadian market is one of the main long-haul sources in terms of current and prospective potential." Elissa Golberg, ambassador of Canada to Italy, said the flights are a tangible demonstration of a shared desire to move forward together. “This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Canada and Italy."

Arbatax-Tortolì airport in Ogliastra, on Sardinia’s eastern c,oast will be operational again from June, after more than ten years without flights. The airport will initially only be operational for small general aviation aircraft and private planes with up to twelve seats. From 2023 scheduled flights could also return for aircraft with between 70 and one hundred seats.

Creating new jobs in the area

The final go-ahead is expected from ENAC, which had prescribed a series of works and adjustments to allow the airport, closed since 2011, to also serve civil aviation. The reopening of the airport will result in a dozen new direct employees, as well as hundreds of new jobs throughout the Ogliastra area, from car rental companies to the upgrading of catering and accommodation facilities and tourist services.

The Ogliastra has a vocation for luxury tourism

This means from this summer being able to reach the Ogliastra’s stunning coast and bays without having to face the two-hour car journey from Cagliari and Olbia airports. Although at least this year it will only be for tourists who can afford air taxis, helicopters and private flights. Which fits perfectly with the Ogliastra’s vocation for luxury tourism.