A runway lounge “Where style takes off” is the slogan for the new ITA Airways lounge at Milan Linate Airport. It is a space imbued with the flavour of Italian excellence: the red of Campari, the aroma of illycaffè, the lighting by iGuzzini, and the clean, comfortable lines of Poltrona Frau. A place that evokes the very identity of the city of Milan, the beating heart of fashion and design. 

But there is also the vision of a CEO, Joerg Eberhart, who, with his feet firmly on the ground, is focusing on the company's priorities in the wake of Lufthansa's 41% stake in the company. A CEO who is aiming for a “sustainable break-even” after the 2024 financial statements recorded a positive EBIT for the first time.

Now, the Italian airline's entry into the German giant's ranks may or may not be welcome. But “the German from Verona” (Eberhart has lived in the Veneto city for some time and speaks perfect Italian after being at the helm of Air Dolomiti for over seven years, but with a professional career that also saw him as a flight attendant and then a pilot on the A320) seems to have found some solid ground on which to steer ITA towards the LH Group's stated goal of an 8% margin (as for all the Group's carriers).

In an international context that would be an understatement to describe as complex - and therefore makes it “difficult to make predictions for the coming months” - Eberhart is counting on synergies with the Lufthansa Group (which will be more tangible when the Germans increase their stake in the Italian carrier, potentially as early as June) and on the entry into the joint venture with United Airlines and Air Canada. And there is also room for the return of the beloved old Alitalia brand: “We don’t yet have a definite plan for when and how it will return, but it will certainly be promoted.”

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

Wizz Air has backtracked on its announcement to launch a new route from Abu Dhabi to Milan Malpensa, which was scheduled to take off on 2 June with daily flights.

“The route would not be sustainable”

In a brief statement, the Hungarian low-cost airline recently announced that “Due to unexpected changes in market conditions and operational considerations, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend the launch of our new Abu-Dhabi-Milan Malpensa route.” The launch was announced last September in Milan by Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi, who now states: “Although we were excited to offer this service to our customers, careful analysis has determined that, at this time, it would not be sustainable. We remain committed to exploring future opportunities in line with customer demand and our strategic objectives.”

Competition from Etihad Airways

The blame therefore lies with the low number of tickets sold on the route and the fact that not many passengers seem to be willing to spend almost six hours sitting in the cramped seats of an ultra-low-cost airline. It also probably lies with the fierce competition that the announcement had triggered with the only other direct connection between Abu Dhabi and Milan Malpensa which is operated by the Gulf carrier Etihad Airways.

The ball is now in Wizz Air’s court

Etihad was not caught unprepared, choosing to modify (in other words, lower) its fares, at least for the time being, in order to discourage Wizz Air's ambitions on the route. This strategy seems to have proved the Emirati airline right. Wizz Air now needs to decide whether the idea of using an A321Xlr aircraft for long-haul flights is the right type of plane to put on routes of this type given that the Hungarian low-cost airline was also planning to open a route from Europe to India with the same aircraft.

  

The summer season that has just kicked off, leaves room for optimism at Air Transat with regard to Venice flights for the winter Olympics.

8 weekly Toronto-Rome flights

In the wake of strong demand for travel between Canada and Italy, the company has introduced more capacity on routes between the two countries. “In particular- says Tiziana Della Serra, managing director and head of sales & marketing at Rephouse Gsa, which has represented the carrier in Italy for 19 years - the Toronto-Rome route will have eight weekly flights from 29 June (compared to the daily frequencies planned from mid-June) thanks to the double Sunday connection.”

Toronto-Lamezia: a weekly summer flight

The daily flight from Montreal is also confirmed and to Venice there will be two weekly flights from both Toronto and Montreal, from 3 and 5 May respectively. The last route to become active again will be from Lamezia to Toronto, with a weekly flight from 12 June until 2 October. “Overall, in the peak of the 2025 summer season - that is, between the end of June and September - we will operate 20 flights a week.”

“For Venice airport, Canada is an important market”

“The summer resumption of Air Transat flights reflects a growth in traffic volumes that has characterised the flows between Canada and our region in recent years, - comments Camillo Bozzolo, director of aviation development Save Group. -For the catchment area of Venice’s airport, Canada is an important market, with traffic volumes fuelled by tourist, business and family reunion travel. The hope is that, also in view of the 2026 Olympics, which represent an important appointment for the Canadian national teams, the company will extend its flights also during the winter season.”

A very solid relationship with the trade

All of Air Transat's intercontinental flights are operated with Airbus A330-200 or A330-300 aircraft configured in economy and club classes, ‘and on all flights, all fares - including the budget, which is not changeable or refundable - include hand luggage. “We have a very solid relationship with the trade - concludes Tiziana Della Serra - our travel agents are our trusted partners and Rephouse is always at their disposal for any need, information and assistance.”

The Veneto region’s airports are becoming increasingly international, led by Venice's Marco Polo, but also well represented by Verona's Catullo and the more intimate Canova Airport in Treviso.

Over 18.3 million passengers in 2024

These three jewels are not only popular tourist destinations but also as part of the unique Nort- East Airport Hub. After 2024, which closed with over 18.3 million passengers handled, +3.1% on the previous year, 2025 began with a positive trend. The first quarter recorded a +6% increase in traffic compared to the first three months of 2024, with almost 3.6 million passengers. The 2025 summer season, with 15 million seats expected from April to October, will exceed the excellent volumes already achieved in the previous year by the three airports.

Stepping-up flights from North America

Venice closes the first quarter with an increase of +3.5% and 1.2 million passengers and is ready for a summer season full of new developments, including the new daily United Airlines’ flights from Washington (from 23 May) and American Airlines’ from Dallas-Fort Wort  (from 5 June). North America is once again confirmed as the leading intercontinental market for Venice, with passenger numbers expected to exceed 1.2 million in 2025, thanks to direct connections to eight destinations, operated by five heritage airlines. And Venice will once again be connected to Saudi Arabia by Saudi Arabian Airlines, which will operate scheduled flights to Jeddah and Riyadh during the summer season.

Traffic grows on Treviso and Verona airports

In the first quarter of 2025, Treviso airport recorded 700 thousand passengers, an increase of 5.4%. With 44 destinations in 21 countries connected for the 2025 summer season, the operations of Ryanair and Wizz Air guarantee the availability of a widespread network In Verona, travel is at record levels: after 3.7 million passengers in 2024 (+8%), the first three months of 2025 saw around 700,000 passengers, an increase of +17.3%.

The expansionist aims of the Lufthansa group seem to know no bounds. And they are destined to reshape Europe’s skies. Now that the ITAAirways deal has become a reality - even though the integration process is still in its early stages - the German giant is in direct competition with Air France-KLM to acquire a stake in Air Europa. The latter, the third largest Spanish airline after Iberia and Vueling, has been looking for a new investor for some time to repay the €475 million in state aid it received during the pandemic.
With a fleet of some fifty aircraft, Air Europa is tempting Lufthansa because of its significant market share on routes between Madrid and Latin America, where Lufthansa aims to strengthen its position. The Spanish long-haul network is in fact a strategic element for consolidating the German airline's position on the lucrative routes between Europe and the Americas, in direct competition with Iberia and Air France KLM. According to the Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, the Franco-Dutch group has offered the Hidalgo family (which controls Air Europa) €300 million for 51% of the shares and is willing to take on the airline's outstanding debts to the Spanish government. Lufthansa, on the other hand, has apparently offered €240 million in exchange for a 25% share. The German group's proposal would also include negotiations with Boeing for the 787 Dreamliner, thus strengthening the Spanish company's operational capacity. The decision now rests with the Hidalgo family, who appear to favour Lufthansa's offer, which would allow them to retain the majority of the shares and see Air Europa's value increase to over €1 billion in the medium term.

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist

Italy is a land of further investments for United Airlines, starting with the new New York- Palermo flights from 21 May, but with projects that extend to 2026. 

“Italy’s positioning is almost podium level” 

“This is currently just a personal feeling,- says Walter Cianciusi, Italy sales manager, - but I would certainly still bet on Italy, whose positioning - and this is certain - is almost podium-level.  In recent years it has risen a lot in the ranking of the most important markets for United Airlines, with Fiumicino increasingly taking on the role of a hub for Southern Europe.”

The challenge in 2025 comes with several new developments…

“Yes, it does, like the launch of the New York-Palermo route, with three weekly flights from 21 May, then it will be Washington to Venice, and the new route from Denver to Rome, a seasonal flight that joins the other six already operating on Fiumicino. This is the fourth airport in Europe connected to Denver, after London, Frankfurt and Munich: a choice that once again underscores the value of the Italian market for United.”

What will be the increase in capacity in 2025?

“Italy, as I said, is a very important market and Rome in particular. In summer 2025 we will be operating out of five different airports - unique for United - with up to 14 non-stop flights a day between the United State and Italy. This means the annual capacity will increase by more than 13% compared to 2024. Rome will see an increase of 9%, which at the peak of the summer, will rise to 18%; from Naples we will increase by 10% and from Venice by 77%, while the capacity from Milan Malpensa will remain unchanged. In addition, the airline's vast network will be available to Italian passengers once they reach the USA. For example, we will be offering passengers from Palermo over 61 connecting destinations from Newark, with 86 for those arriving on flights from Naples, for a total of 208 connecting flights from Rome.”

2025 is also the year of the Jubilee: will this affect United?

“In general, the US component dominates on our flights and this figure is likely to increase this year.”

Premium demand is constantly increasing, is this also the case for you?

“Definitely. While pure corporate travel is still a little slow to recover compared to pre-Covid levels, leisure passengers travelling in business are filling this small gap. They are demanding clients, who sometimes use their miles to travel in our Polaris. An incentive to purchase this class also comes from the sales strategy that allows upgrades up to two hours before the flight.” The big news for United will be the arrival of the A321 XLRs, which will change the face of the fleet starting in 2026 as they progressively replace the older B757s as well as some 767s. “Another service innovation is the agreement with Starlink for fast Internet connection on board our aircraft. After a test stage this spring on the Embraer 175, it will be available on the main fleet by the end of the year and on the entire fleet by 2026.”

At Naples Capodichino Airport North American flights have quadrupled in just two years. 

Naples Airport has a network of 120 destinations

A more intercontinental character thanks to the growth of flights from North America, and a low-cost presence that includes bases for all four of the main European carriers. This is the picture of summer 2025 at Naples airport, which since last July has been joined by Salerno Aiport, both of which have GESAC management. This year that promises further growth compared to 2024, which closed with a clearly positive balance said Roberto Barbieri, CEO of GESAC.  “The 2025 network is vast with 120 destinations and more intercontinental flights, thanks to an impressive development of the offer to and from North America.” Naples will have 43 weekly flights from six airports – Atlanta, Chicago, Montreal, New York Newark, New York JFK and Philadelphia – served by the main US airlines: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Air Canada. 

“Intercontinental flights attract high-spending tourists”

Roberto Barbieri, CEO of GESAC

“In just two years, the number of seats offered to and from North America will have more than quadrupled, from 100,000 in 2023 to 440,000 in 2025.”  This schedule promises to have a positive impact on the region: “Intercontinental flights attract a high percentage of high-spending tourists who stay longer with a positive impact on the entire economic chain. A recent study conducted by Nomisma calculated that Naples Airport contributes 4.2% of the regional GDP, generating a total of about 112 thousand jobs. It is estimated that the new intercontinental flights will guarantee as many as 10 thousand more jobs and a further increase of 0.5% for the regional GDP.”  Expectations are for “high load factors” for both inbound and outbound flights.

The low-cost airlines have a 76% share at Naples Airport

Beijing and Tokyo are being touted as potential new entries: ‘This is an ambitious and very interesting goal for us but will need an upgrade in infrastructure. We are working with ENAC (the Italian Civil Aviation Authority) and the Municipality of Naples to draw up a development plan that is both environmentally sustainable and industrially sound.” Low-cost airlines remain strategic partners, with a market share of 76%. “Ryanair is currently the leading airline operating at Naples Airport and all four of the main European low-cost airlines – Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea and Wizz Air – have an operational base here, guaranteeing greater operational stability and also contributing to employment and more efficient and reliable operations.”

There's more and more Italy in 2025 for American Airlines which will operate up to 11 flights a day between the United States and Italy this summer.

“Italy is our second European market” 

“This is our largest operation ever between the United States and Italy”, explains José Freig, VP international operations American Airlines.  It is thanks to “new flights that will increase the network to Rome, Milan, Naples and Venice. Italy is our second European market in terms of the number of flights in the peak summer season, behind London Heathrow, with over 20 daily flights.” American Airlines current booking trend confirms the soundness of the investment: “The trend is very positive. There is certainly a ‘Jubilee effect’ that is helping to further strengthen the demand of our passengers for Rome, which has been one of the most popular destinations in our global network for several years.” 

Flights to Naples are doubling this year

Together with the increase in the number of flights and a longer season, the newly announced Miami-Rome Fiumicino, Philadelphia-Malpensa and Chicago-Naples routes stand out and are “all seasonal routes, served by daily connections.” After its debut in last year's American network with the flight from Philadelphia, Naples is doubling up this year “thanks to its strategic position that allows US travellers to reach highly sought-after destinations, from Capri to the Amalfi Coast, and to be a gateway to Southern Italy. On the other hand, both Philadelphia and Chicago are two of our main strategic hubs in the USA for flights to and from Europe: from there we operate numerous connecting flights to and from the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, guaranteeing passengers extremely convenient and widespread connectivity.

This summer American will operate up to 480 daily flights from Chicago 

The schedule calls for the Philadelphia-Naples service to begin on 5 May, “a month earlier than last year, with daily flights throughout the summer season. We will continue to monitor demand to ensure that our services meet the needs of our passengers. We expect the new Chicago-Naples service to become a popular service.”   This summer American will operate up to 480 daily flights from Chicago, offering 25% more seats and 22% more departures than last year. The airline will also introduce new connections from Chicago to Madrid and Halifax. Although it has to deal with the continuing “delays in the delivery of Boeing 787s, due to which the company has modified the service on some routes this summer to ensure that it can accommodate passengers from the flights concerned,” the global network continues to expand: “We have new routes to Athens, Madrid and Edinburgh, and for the second season we are reconfirming flights to Brisbane as well as seasonal flights to Copenhagen and Nice.” 

Neos' wager on New York has paid off as the carrier offers up to 7 flights a week this year.

A major player from Milan Malpensa to the Big Apple 

Neos NY aldo sarnataroNot only has Neos, the Alpitour group airline, become one of the major players operating from Milan Malpensa to the Big Apple, but the outlines of the inbound project are also more defined, with the next departure from Bari, following the launch of Palermo last year. The 2025 season aims “to confirm what was done in 2024, which was very good, - says Neos’ commercial director Aldo Sarnataro. -We are emerging from a pandemic and fortunately business is growing, now we need to reorganize and standardize what has been introduced, both in terms of volumes and diversification.” 

“Demand on the USA-Italy route is very high”

“New York was a super challenging project, which might have seemed out of our league, but it produced the desired results. The product is there, demand on the USA-Italy route is very high and we can have our say. It also allows us to work on the trade by offering an important product, increasing volumes and targets towards travel agencies that can do other things with us.” 

Up to 7 weekly Italy-New York flights 

“The current trend in bookings is very positive, and we are relaunching because there is a lot of demand from different Italian airports: Bari started like that, and it adds another piece to our incoming puzzle. Even if, at the moment, compared to Palermo, there is a lot of outbound - we are at 70% to 30% - but the booking window from the USA is just starting, so we expect this to change.” Neos' 2025 offer between New York and Italy will include as many as 7 flights a week: four to Milan Malpensa, two to Palermo and one to Bari.