United Airlines ups the ante on Italy with the introduction of new Newark-Palermo and Washington-Venice flights.

“Expanding beyond traditional business destinations”

United Airlines is predicting record numbers for the summer of 2025 when the schedule of the US airline with the largest number of flights across the Atlantic, will be the most extensive in its history, with over 760 weekly flights.  An expansion that will touch destinations that are, as Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, puts it, “off the beaten track. United has always been known as a leading international airline, but over the past eight years we have expanded the international network beyond traditional business destinations. We're looking to fly to places that speak to all target travellers, from newlywed couples to adventure seekers and beyond.”

Italy is the object of desire for United Airlines

Among United’s novelties, which include flights to eight new cities, there is a new Italian entry, Palermo, as well as a new route to Venice (already connected with New York) from Washington.

Italy, therefore, reconfirms itself as the object of desire for United Airlines which recently announced a flurry of new routes for the summer of 2025. Adding to Milan, Rome, Naples and Venice, United will be the only US airline to offer non-stop services between the US and Palermo, the capital of Sicily, and by summer 2025 it will be operating up to 13 direct services a day to Italy.

Newark-Palermo will start on 21 May 2025

The Newark-Palermo - initially scheduled for 2020 but put on stand-by due Covid - will take off on 21 May with three frequencies a week on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays and will be served by a Boeing767-400. The seasonal service between Venice and Washington will start on 23 May 2025, with daily flights operated by a Boeing 767-300 configured in three classes of service: 30 United Polaris suites with fully reclining seats, 24 United Premium Plus seats for more comfort, and 149 seats in Economy, of which 32 in Economy Plus with extra legroom. 

Milan Malpensa-San Francisco may be in the pipeline

Flights from Dulles International Airport will be in addition to Newark, and will be brought forward to 30 March next year, three weeks earlier than this year's operation. United’s plans already stretch beyond 2025 when a new connection between Milan Malpensa and San Francisco (a destination already served by Rome) could be in the pipeline.

Wizz Air’s A321XLR, the latest jewel from Airbus, will operate on the Milan-Malpensa to Abu Dhabi route from 2 June 2025.

“The new A321XLR is ‘our ‘X factor,” says Jozsef Varadi, CEO of Wizz Air, confirming the debut of the innovative new aircraft on the Milan Malpensa-Abu Dhabi route next year.  Operated in just over seven hours the route will be served by daily frequencies, with a €99.99 launch fare. “The Airbus A321XLR is the most cost-efficient aircraft in its class and, thanks to its longer range, allows us to connect the most distant destinations in our network and expand it further. 

Wizz Air Milano A321XLR
There is strong demand for low-cost to the UAE

“The A32XLR can boast 30% less carbon intensity than other aircraft. We are already operating several ultra-low-cost routes of 5-6 hours, and the XLR will extend our proposal to 7-8 hour flights.”  The first delivery of the A321XLR, configured with 236 seats, is expected “next March, but Airbus’ delays do not allow us to be certain.”  The low-cost entry on the route to Abu Dhabi responds “to a strong demand for low-cost connections between Milan and the United Arab Emirates. This new route will revolutionize the concept of medium-haul travel.” 

Wizz Air operates on 92 destinations in 38 countries

The Hungarian low-cost thus relaunches its commitment to Malpensa, where it opened a base in 2020. “The first in Italy, followed by Rome Fiumicino, Venice, Catania and Naples.” A network that how counts 92 destinations in 38 countries, with 23 A321neo aircraft based and almost 90 million passengers transported, since the start of operations in Italy. “Today in Italy we have a market share of some 10%, which we count on doubling in the short term.”  

Brunini, Sea: “Malpensa is the right place for the A321XLR”

Courageous and innovative: this is how Armando Brunini, CEO of Sea Milan Airports, defines Wizz Air. “We are honoured that Malpensa is the launching market for the new Airbus A321XLR. Milan and Lombardy represent a large market. We are one of the two-three most important airports in terms of network extension and long-haul presence without a hub carrier, and this shows the market's importance. And Wizz Air has understood this. The XLR marries our strategy of making Malpensa an airport that looks increasingly far ahead.”

In the plans: Italy-India Wizz Air flights

Varadi also confirms that the flight to Abu Dhabi “is only the beginning. We have many ideas for the A321XLR2. And among these is certainly that of “a direct flight between Italy and India: the latter is still an under-served market. It will be a long journey, but a new route from Italy could make a lot of sense.”

Aeroitalia relaunches in Romania and opens its first international base (the eighth one  operational) in Bacau with the positioning of a Boeing 737 aircraft.

New Bacau-Italia connections from 12 August

Less than a year and a half after the launch of the direct flights to Rome Fiumicino, the Italian airline reinforces its presence at the Romanian airport with a 40% increase in capacity and by boosting frequencies to Rome, Milan-Bergamo and adding the new Bacau-Turin-Cuneo service.
Starting on 12 August the following weekly connections from Bacau will be operative: ten to Rome Fiumicino, five to Milan Bergamo, two to Turin-Cuneo; to these will be added seven frequencies to Catania via Rome, seven to Palermo, seven to Olbia and seven to Alghero (all via Rome) and four to Comiso, again via Rome Fiumicino.

“Double daily Bacau-Rome Fiumicino flights” 

"The opening of our eighth base in Bacau confirms Aeroitalia's commitment to the customers of the Bacau region and Moldova, with the clear objective of reconnecting Bacau and the region with the most attractive destinations in Italy, – said Krassimir Tanev, CCO Aeroitalia. -Thanks to the strong demand for our connections we are able to expand our Rome-Fiumicino service to double daily, and offer passengers even better connectivity to Italy with three direct routes and five one-stop services to Sicily and Sardinia. And we remain committed to continuing to expand our route portfolio starting with the Winter 2024 flight schedule that will offer even more travel options at industry-leading prices.” 

Aeroitalia is considering the Spanish market 

At the start of Summer 2024 it was Gaetano Intrieri, the airline's managing director, who emphasized the importance of the Romania market and future development plans on the international front: “To date the only international market we serve is Romania, an area that we are taking great care of and which has started well (...) But in the near future we would like to open up some other destinations, for example Spain. It will depend on the codeshare agreements that we sign between now and the Autumn.”

China Eastern Airlines will make its Milan Malpensa and Venice Marco Polo debuts in September. 

Bringing China Eastern to four Italian routes 

With Venice becoming part of the Chinese airline's network for the first time, the carrier is to introduce the route from Shanghai Pudong to Venice Marco Polo and from Xi'an Xianyang to Milan from 26 September 2024. Both routes will be operated three times a week with Airbus A330 aircraft. The launch of the two new connections will bring to four the number of Italian routes operated by the Chinese carrier, which currently serves Rome Fiumicino Airport from Shanghai and twice-weekly flights from Wenzhou, this latter scheduled to stop at the end of the summer.

Issues with overflying Russian airspace

The expansion comes as Chinese carriers continue to strengthen their European networks, while at the same time some European majors are limiting their services to mainland China, due to complications with overflying Russian territories. Excluding routes to Russia, according to data compiled by OAG, Chinese airlines have added or announced 13 new routes to European cities this year. These include China Southern Airlines‘ flights from Guangzhou to the Hungarian capital Budapest and London Gatwick, and Juneyao Airlines’ routes from Shanghai to Athens, Brussels and Manchester; finally, Air China will also introduce a flight between Chengdu and Milan Malpensa from the end of July.

easyJet made its debut a few days ago at the new Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi Airport, and is looking to invest further in Naples.

easyJet’s Milan-Salerno confirmed year-round

The Campania region confirms itself as the market of choice for easyJet in Italy The Salerno airport debut “is a start,- says Lorenzo Lagorio, easyJet's Italy country manager, - this is a test phase, which will allow us to adjust for the winter. We are starting with five routes (from Milan Malpensa, Basel, Geneva, Berlin and London Gatwick) but for now the only confirmed annual flight is the one from Milan, currently operating three times a week, which will drop to two in the winter. But the airport's catchment area is wide and has great potential, so leaving the routes time to mature our aim is to increase frequencies.”

“We have added an 8th aircraft to Naples” 

"Naples is our second base in Italy, and we have added an aircraft - the eighth – with capacity up 14% over 2023, and a seat offer for the year exceeding 3.7 million. But it is also an airport where slots are limited, so the addition of Salerno is an interesting opportunity. Of course there will be complementarity between the two airports, bearing in mind, however, that they are totally different in size. We operate 46 routes on Naples Capodichino in the summer, with a capacity of 2.8 million seats, while at Salerno we have 50,000 seats on sale.” 

easyJet flights to leisure destinations from Salerno

Naples airport is also seen as a connecting hub for passengers from the United States. “Our crews are pointing out that an increasing number of American passengers arriving with flights from US airlines, after spending a few days in Naples and on the Amalfi Coast, continue with an easyJet flight to other leisure destinations in our network, from Sardinia to Greece.”

Italy's 39th airport, the second in the Campania region after Naples Capodichino, the much-announced Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi Airport has opened its doors.

Four airlines: Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea and Universal Air 

Just four airlines are operating on the new airport – Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea and Universal Air - for a total of 20 destinations. Six of these are scheduled domestic flights (Catania, Cagliari, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Turin and Verona), seven international (Basel, Berlin, Geneva, Malta, Nantes, London Gatwick, London Stansted) and seven are charters (Corfu, Djerba, Monastir, Podgorica, Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh and Zante). 

The winter programme is TBA

By 2043 the investment is expected to amount to a further €245 million, of which €134 million will be financed by public funds (in addition to those already spent on the opening). After the summer, operations will undergo the traditional winter cuts, with a programme yet to be defined that will in any case have to support the infrastructure's operating costs. But so be it: this is a new beginning - and the opening of a new airport does not happen every day. To quote the president of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca: “a 20-year-long story comes to an end,” a long cherished desire that however “lacked an industrial plan. And this is just the first step in a project that allows us to imagine intercontinental flights in the not too distant future.”

Raising the bar for the entire Campania region

“The project rests its foundations on the establishment of an airport network capable of giving life to the Campania airport system,- said Carlo Borgomeo, president of Gesac, the company that manages both Naples and Salerno airports.  -I deny the interpretation that Salerno is a spare wheel for Naples. This project is about the development of the region. It is a well thought-out operation, with great opportunities for tourism and cultural exchanges, and it opens up great opportunities for young people. The entire region becomes more attractive.”

Work is ongoing to extend the airport

The runway has been extended (from 1,655 metres to 2,022) as have the aircraft parking aprons, while the passenger terminal and car parks have been reactivated. In 2026 the new passenger terminal will make its debut and will be built while keeping the airport fully operational. “We are already at work on the construction of the new passenger terminal,- said Roberto Barbieri, Gesac's managing director and a strategic advocate of the single management of Campania's two airports. –“This airport connects the region with Berlin, London, Milan and Catania,- said transport minister Matteo Salvini, - Regarding the metro, I count on there being a stop by the beginning of 2027, with fast connections to the city.”

Boosting accessibility for many areas

Despite its name the new Salerno airport also makes areas such as the Cilento’s splendid coastline stretching from the Gulf of Salerno to the Gulf of Policastro, and the Vallo di Diano more easily accessible. And it will help with the problems of overcrowding from Sorrento to Amalfi and from Minori to Positano, especially during the summer peak, as well as being an incentive to a more systematic tourist development for lesser-known destinations.

All Nippon Airways' long-awaited debut at Milan Malpensa with direct Haneda-Malpensa flights  is scheduled for 3 December

Italy is the fourth largest market for Japan

Initially the operations will be for three weekly frequencies on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, with a 215-seat Boeing 787-9 (48 Business, 21 Premium Economy and 146 Economy).  The announcement of the long-awaited direct connection comes at a time when the popularity of Japan is very high. Italy is the fourth largest market in Europe in terms of the number of visitors to Japan, with 152,400 arrivals in 2023. And from January to May 2024, 81,100 Italians have already chosen Japan, an increase of 65.1% over the same period last year, while Japanese travellers have resumed travelling to Italy,  so the direct flight will facilitate inbound flows.

“Milan is an important addition to our expanding European network”

“We are convinced that the new connection will benefit the economy of Lombardy and beyond by facilitating inbound flows from Japan,- said Shinichi Inoue, president and CEO of ANA. - Milan is an important addition to our expanding European network. These flights complement our existing services from London, Frankfurt and Brussels. And we recently resumed daily flights from Paris and Munich to Japan, while a connection from Vienna will follow soon.”

Tokyo Haneda is important for business and leisure travel

“The Tokyo Haneda flight will connect one of the most important markets for business and tourism and thus increase the connectivity offered by our airport system,- said Armando Brunini, managing director of Sea Milan Airports. -The renowned quality of ANA's service and the attention that the carrier has always paid to its passengers are the distinctive features that, I am sure, will guarantee the success of the new flights.  With the new Haneda flights the number of countries directly connected from Milan Malpensa rises to 79, boosting our airport's position for direct connectivity in Europe.”

Once again, for the sixth time in the last seven years, Rome’s Fiumicino airport has excelled in Aci Europe's ranking of Europe's best airports with over 40 million passengers.  It also won the Digital Transformation Award for its commitment to digitization and the promotion of innovation, offering an airport experience of increasing quality to travellers. 

This is just the latest ace up the sleeve of Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport as it is poised to become the new hub of the Lufthansa Group, following the green light from the EU to the merger between the German airline and ITA Airways. And what a dowry ITA brings with it! This is a gem of an airport that - like the airline itself - is capable of providing an elite service in Italy and beyond.

Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist