It’s a new era for Milan Bergamo Airport, with the official inauguration of the new departures terminal, which cost €55 million.

The introduction of latest-generation X-ray machines 

The work began in March 2024 and ended “after 622 days, in total compliance with the planned timetable,- says SACBO president Giovanni Sanga, -with an investment of €55 million, of which €41 million for the infrastructural part and €14 million for the purchase of latest-generation X-ray machines. This is an important step for our airport, which in the last quarter of a century has become strategic for domestic and international connections.”

Liquids and electronic devices can be kept in hand luggage

The enlargement of the eastern front of the terminal now has a new area on the first floor on 7,500 sqm with 14 lines for security checks equipped with the most advanced technological machines, which allow liquids of up to two litres per container and electronic devices to be kept in hand luggage. The first line is reserved for passengers with reduced mobility, families with small children and fast-track passengers. Access to the security control area is regulated by nine gates for reading boarding passes.

30 new self check-in stations 

On the ground floor of the departures terminal, the 4,300 sqm area has been renovated with the enlargement of the check-in hall with 30 new stations in self check-in mode, for a total of 64, and the doubling of the space reserved for the baggage sorting system. The infrastructural works programme also made it possible to expand the non-Schengen departure area by 840 sqm, with the addition of two new boarding gates.

"There is also a presence detection system based on artificial intelligence, which makes it possible to monitor passenger flows in real time, and on the upper floor of the terminal there is the new duty-free shop” The inauguration - attended by the civil, military and religious authorities, with  ENAC president Pierluigi Di Palma and Assaeroporti president Carlo Borgomeo – was an introduction to the next, fundamental step forward which will be the railway connection that by the end of 2026 will link “the airport to the centre of Bergamo and Milan, with up to 154 trains a day, via Treviglio or Carnate”. A new airport service centre will also be opened with a hotel (Hilton Garden Inn, Ed.). ”For Milan Bergamo becoming an “aerotropolis” - as sector studies see the future of airports - will be a natural evolution.” 

It’s not just Tuscany: the eternal love story between British travellers and Italy, the cradle of fine arts, knows no bounds. In fact, cross-Channel travellers are increasingly choosing other regions, from Puglia to Calabria, also thanks to targeted flight schedules. At the top of the list we find Veneto (naturally driven by Venice) where consolidated stays in 2024 exceeded 2.31 million, according to ENIT at the recent WTM in London. Veneto is then followed by Latium, Lombardy (with an excellent 1.77 million), Campania and finally Tuscany, which came close to 1.44 million.

Although Rome, Milan and Venice will remain the main destinations for flights from the UK this year, from the data collected by British tour operators selling Italy, the experiences most sought after by British tourists combine the more traditional sun and sea destinations. the islands or Tuscany and Umbria for villages in the inland areas. In fact, after the big three the airports most used by British visitors in 2025 were Naples, Pisa, Verona and Catania.

From January to August airport arrivals from the UK to Tuscany (around 326,000 +7.8%) or Sicily (over 148,000 +11.6%) but also to new destinations such as Apulia (85,000 +21.5%) and Calabria (around 17,000 +53%) have grown. It should also be noted how - again in 2024 - the five provinces with the highest number of British presences were Rome (2,268,431), Naples (1,407,742), Venice (1,124,345), Verona (969,902) and Milan (720,535).

In the first eight months of 2025, which is now drawing to a close, airport arrivals to Italy from the UK grew by 3.2%: British visitors now represent 16.1% of the foreign total and are, above all, a “rich” market: with €2.4 billion spent in the first half of 2025, a +10.1%  rise over 2024 and an even more marked growth - +41.5% - compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

More international visitors, from Europe but also from overseas. The city of Rimini illustrated its new growth ambitions at the presentation of the campaign "Rimini 4 Seasons Collection. More than a city. More than a destination" from VisitRimini.

Figures show that in 2024 “Rimini and its province recorded 3.7 million arrivals and 15 million overnight stays,- said Rimini's municipal councillor for sport and culture, Michele Lari. Of these 7.5 million in the city alone, and international arrivals grew by 8%. The first figures for 2025 are comforting: from January to August growth is +0.6% compared to 2024 and +10% compared to 2023. In the first half of the year alone, it was +6.1% compared to the same period last year. The figures highlight a constant deseasonalization and a focus on new targets: not only the sea, but also congresses and trade fairs, linked to sport and culture."

There is a strong focus on foreign visitors, who in 2024 accounted for 33-35% of the total,’ sais destination manager of VisitRimini Coralie Delaubert. “And this summer, thanks also to the growing number of flights operating to Rimini airport - for example, as many as three airlines operating from London. Also from the Polish and Hungarian markets, in addition to the historic German market. The numerous geo-localized promotional initiatives have given ample feedback, with many foreign visitors at our infopoints, even in the month of October, which is a sure a sign that the season has lengthened.”

But Rimini is looking beyond Europe. “We are thinking about it, and first of all we are looking at the United States, a market that we know is very sensitive to Federico Fellini, who is an  iconic Rimini figure.  VisitRimini also has a municipality tender for the management of civil ceremonies in municipal venues so we are proposing ourselves as wedding planners, a segment with very high potential. We want to be a benchmark for organizing weddings, MICE and tourism.” High international visibility will be ensured in Rimini on the occasion of Routes Europe, “scheduled to take place from 13 to 15 May 2026, and a really important opportunity to make the area known and potentially increase the range of air connections.”

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

"Americans love coming to Italy. And we are happy to be able to take them to many of the most popular destinations. In recent years we’ve seen more passengers discovering Italian cities beyond Rome and Milan, hence the recent opening of new routes, for example to Naples and Catania in addition to our historic flights to Milan, Rome and Venice,” says Cristina Casati, sales manager Italy and Greece, outlining the company's trends and prospects for Italy.

How did is 2025 going?

“The overall performance this year, especially during the summer, was very encouraging. Demand from Europe, including Italy, showed good momentum, and our transatlantic network continues to generate a lot of interest on both sides of the Ocean. We are also seeing an increasing number of our passengers choosing to travel to Italy and other southern European countries in the autumn to take advantage of milder weather that in the past.”

By how much has the investment in capacity in Italy increased?

“Delta has increased capacity by some 15% to meet expected demand, and we are pleased with the results, particularly with regard to our premium cabins.”

What is the traffic composition on transatlantic routes?

'Traffic shares vary within our network, but overall demand from the US remains the main driver. That said, some routes, such as those from Milan, have a higher share of passengers departing from Italy, demonstrating the importance of these markets within our broader transatlantic offering."

Winter 2025-26: are the Milan-Cortina Olympics already impacting?

"We are excited about the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics, and about being able to serve our customers who will be flying to Italy for the games. We have extended our flight from New York-JFK to Venice in anticipation of this, and we are already experiencing strong demand for the route.”

And for summer 2026?

"We are preparing for an important 2026 summer season here in Italy. We have announced the new route from Seattle to Rome due to launch next summer, which will further increase our transatlantic network. In addition, recently and as previously announced, SkyMiles members and Delta employees were invited to help choose the next island destination in Europe. The “Route Race” was won in a tie by Olbia in Sardinia and Malta, which will be connected to New York-JFK starting next summer.”

United Airlines ups the ante on the winter season, adding 30% more capacity.

Up to 14 daily flights between the US and Italy 

"2025 has seen the biggest international expansion in United's history and, within this framework, flights from Italy have increased by over 18%,- says United’s country sales manager Italy, Walter Cianciusi. -This year we introduced three new seasonal non-stop flights to Italy: from our New York/Newark hub to Palermo, from Washington D.C. to Venice, and from Denver to Rome Fiumicino. Looking ahead, the Washington-Rome flight is now year-round, whereas previously it was not active for most of January and February 2025.  By 2025 we will operate up to 14 direct daily services between the US and Italy.”

Double the number of seats that were available in 2019

“Travel demand continues to be in line with our expectations. Italy is a favourite destination for travellers, particularly Americans. And we are seeing a growing popularity of “open jaw” itineraries, where travellers can take advantage of United's extensive offerings to five Italian cities. To keep up with demand we have more than doubled the number of seats that wwre available in 2019, we are the fastest growing airline between the US and Italy. The current winter season sees United boosting its capacity in Italy by around 30%, thanks to the expansion of five routes. Although there are still a few months to go, we are seeing a positive trend in bookings for the Milan-Cortina Olympics next February.”

“We look forward to seeing how the Italian market develops”

The five upgraded routes are New York Newark-Venice, which resumed three weeks earlier than last year and will operate until 18 December 2025, almost two months later than in 2024. The second daily New York Newark-Rome flight was extended until 2 December 2025, more than a month later than in 2024. The second New York Newark-Naples flight was extended until 25 October, almost one month later than in 2024. The Chicago-Rome was extended until 18 December 2025, about 2 weeks later than in 2024, and the 2026 season of the Chicago to Rome route will also start on 20 February 2026, about 2 weeks earlier than this year.” With regard to potential summer 2026 news, Ciancuisi says: “We are pleased with the performance of our Italy flights to date and look forward to seeing how the Italian market develops.”

ITA Airways is hard at work on hot topics for the future as it closes its first year in the Lufthansa Group. 

The road ahead of ITA is a long one, but it can be travelled one step at a time, and Emiliana Limosani, CCO of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare, comments on some of the hot topics on which the carrier is working.

Long-haul investments are among the cornerstones of the industrial plan...

"Yes, the strengthening of the long-haul sector aims at intercepting markets with high spending power, and is the core of our business. The 2026-30 plan envisages the introduction of an additional wide body each year, starting next year. The big news for winter 25-26 is the launch of  Rome Fiumicino-Mauritius, which will expand the range of our leisure destinations. The winter will feature 54 destinations, of which 16 domestic, 22 international and 16 intercontinental".

Are the new additions to the fleet in line with your plans?

"The new arrivals are flanked by the replacement of older generation aircraft, a choice not only of numbers but of vision, which aims to make ITA the carrier with the youngest and most sustainable fleet in Europe. There are some problems, such as the difficulties linked to the reduced availability of aircraft, due both to the scheduled repairs of the Pratt & Whitney engines on our new generation short and medium haul fleet (a problem afflicting many companies worldwide), and also to the maintenance activities that have not allowed an optimal use of the fleet.”

How are you dealing with these issues and which elements can play in favour of ITA's growth?

"We are constantly observing the evolution of geopolitical scenarios, and are ready to reshape the network if necessary, as we did for example for Tel Aviv. Despite the instability of global events, we have positive feelings, for several reasons. The first is the gradual expansion of our fleet which, starting with 52 aircraft on 15 October 2021, has doubled to 100 aircraft, 69% of which are new generation, with an average age of 6.4 years. Our optimism in this unstable historical moment also stems from commercial innovations thanks to synergies with the Lufthansa Group. These range from the possibility of access to more than 130 lounges worldwide, to codeshare agreements for medium and long haul (the latest in order of time with United Airlines) that allow passengers to enjoy an expanded network. I would also like to mention the optimization of flights between the hubs of the Lufthansa Group, with harmonized schedules and frequencies.” 

Speaking of synergies: what will ITA's entry into Star Alliance bring?

"The entry into the world's largest airline network is planned for early 2026, once all the requirements of the Alliance have been met. We look forward to bringing Italian excellence into the Alliance, thus expanding its global reach. Joining Star Alliance is a significant step in our growth.2 

How has the “ITA Airways product” now available to travel agents changed, compared to pre-Lufthansa?

"The integration of ITA Airways and the Lufthansa Group is proceeding apace with a progressive alignment of processes and best practices. Through AZ/LH codeshare agreements we are able to offer , a significantly expanded network of international and intercontinental destinations, with optimized and more frequent connections. To date ITA has its own marketing codes on more than 128 routes operated by Lufthansa Group carriers, and the Group carriers have their own codes on more than 75 routes operated by ITA. Among the most recent innovations, passengers flying on mixed routes operated by ITA and the Lufthansa Group can purchase the Advanced Seat Reservation (ASR) service when booking on direct and indirect sales channels, in addition to checking in (as was previously possible). Additional ancillary services such as the purchase of extra luggage will follow in the future. Then from this year, in the Miles & More programme, customers can also accumulate and redeem points when flying ITA Airways.”

What  were the results for this last summer?

"We are satisfied, the results have been in line with expectations. From April to August almost 7.5 million passengers were carried, numbers substantially in line with last year, with an average load factor of 84% (up 2.4 percentage points) with peaks of 87% in July. Passenger revenues almost reached €1.4 billion, an increase of 1.6% over 2024.”

Which areas gave the greatest satisfaction?

"South America and the Far East, with load factors of 89% and 86% respectively. The routes to and from the United States also produced good results with a load factor of 84%, confirming the satisfaction of the market.”

Premium traffic is strategic for achieving ITA objectives: is it also growing on the leisure front?

"The leisure-premium segment has become increasingly important. More customers are also choosing to travel on ITA Airways Business and Premium Economy services for their leisure trips, for the comfort and travel experience offered. This is why, in addition to the full-flat seats in Business, ITA has equipped all long-haul aircraft (A350s and A330s), as well as the new A321s, with Premium Economy, intercepting the demand for comfort at lower prices than business. The network choices are oriented in the same direction. The new Rome-Mauritius and the expansion of the Malè route, aim at develop premium leisure traffic. In 2021 on the domestic network we also launched a class for business travellers and also for leisure travellers who pay more attention to comfort. In recent years the superior class has grown by double digits, contributing 10 % of passenger revenue on the domestic network.” 

American Airlines advances on the Italian market as the demand for added capacity surges.

New York-Milan in view of the winter Olympics

"We are recording a growing interest in travel on the part of Americans even in the winter months, - says José Freig, VP international and inflight dining operations,  -This year, the Dallas-Rome flight will operate until early January, in 2024 this ended at the end of October. We will also continue to operate flights between New York and Milan in February next year, offering passengers interested in sports tourism the opportunity to visit the region."

And for summer 2026, what’s new?

"The Italian market continues to be a strategic priority for American Airlines and, with this in mind, we have reintroduced the direct Milan-Miami fight, operating from March 2026. This new route further strengthens our presence at Malpensa, which is already served by a daily flight from New York and a seasonal one from Philadelphia, introduced this year and which will resume a few weeks earlier at the start of next season. The expansion responds to strong demand in 2025 and is an integral part of our global network growth plan."

With 2025 coming to a close, how was the year?

"The summer of 2025 saw a record number of flights to Italy from the US, both in terms of total daily flights (up to 12) and the number of new routes introduced in a single year (four new flights: Miami-Rome FCO, Philadelphia-Milan Malpensa, Dallas -Venice and Chicago-Naples). Italy remains one of the most dynamic European markets for American Airlines. The year 2025 confirmed the success of our expansion strategy in Italy. New routes to Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples from major US hubs have seen strong demand, with a growing number of passengers interested in travelling in premium cabins. Demand to Italy remained solid, with significant peaks in the summer months and early bookings for the autumn.”

What was the trend in fares compared to the beginning of the year and last summer?

"Fares have remained competitive. US travellers consistently confirm to us that Italy is one of their top destinations for summer travel. We are thrilled to have added new flights from Miami to Rome this year and to have announced a connection from Miami to Milan for next year".

What are the biggest challenges and opportunities in the market today?

"As is the case throughout the industry, one of the main challenges is the increase in operating costs. However, we see opportunities in the increasing loyalty of Italian customers, the expansion of the network and the offering of premium services such as access to new Flagship Lounges, new flexible travel options and even more benefits for our AAdvantage members.”

“The return of Thai Airways to Rome is definite for 2028, but perhaps even sooner, says  the airline’s area sales manager, South Eastern Europe, Mediterranean and Africa, Armando Muccifora.

Sales were up 56% January to August 2025

This is a return that will reward the Italian market, which in 2025 saw Thai Airways achieve significantly positive results for the Milan Malpensa-Bangkok route, and is part of a broader network expansion plan in Europe and Asia. "The Italian market has produced results that I have no hesitation in describing as exceptional. Between January and August 2025, sales were up +56% growth compared to the same period last year, reflecting a strong recovery in demand and a consolidation of our market position.”

The winter season is showing positive signs

“The Milan route had an average load factor of 87%, with around 123,000 passengers carried, exceeding expectations and confirming the success of the direct flight from and to Bangkok and the strength of our network in Southeast Asia. About 45% of Italian passengers fly beyond Bangkok - this year primarily to Bali and Japan. The trend in September and October, as well as that for the winter peak season, is showing very positive signs and a steady increase in demand."

Twice today’s 78 aircraft by 2031

Thai Airways targets for the last quarter of the year “remain highly ambitious. We are aiming for a further increase in cabin factor, thanks to the new features introduced and the increased quality of service, to consolidate growth and further strengthen our leadership position among carriers to Asia” added Muccifora. The investment on the fleet, which supports the expansion of the network, “foresees the doubling by 2031 of the current 78 aircraft in service, as well as the refurbishment of those in operation today”.

New Boeing and Airbus planes to enter into service

Thai Airways has 45 new B787s on order, with an option for a further 35 aircraft, “in addition to the 32 Airbus A321neo, which will progressively enter into service over the next few years. By the end of the year, the renewal of twenty A320s will be completed, while the complete modernization of 14 Boeing 777-300s will begin in 2026.”