The tourism tax pressure in Italy by Ryanair continues to bear fruit, as the airline unveils new flights out of Calabria.
For the Irish low-cost carrier, they have been targeting municipal governments in order to allow expansion.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Ryanair & It’s Plans for Calabria Flights…
Ryanair plans to expand significantly in terms of flights and operations out of Calabria following the scrapping of tax.
It is understood the airline will add two more aircraft to the base, bringing the total to four.
There is expected to be 50% growth on the route, with one million passengers expected to handle through 15 new routes.
Furthermore, the new flights from Calabria, will see the following:
- Reggio Calabria:
- London Stansted
- Brussels Charleroi
- Milan Malpensa
- Pisa
- Frankfurt Hahn
- Katowice
- Paris Beauvais
- Lamezia:
- Tirana
- Brussels Charleroi
- Crotone
- Venice Treviso
- Turin
Ryanair also said that from the Calabria area, they will add four new routes to Trieste, Madrid, Wroclaw and Bucharest from Lamezia Terme.
Eddie Wilson: The Work Doesn’t Stop There…
Commenting on this milestone was Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson, who praised the expansion, but highlighted the work is not yet done:
“We are thrilled to announce Ryanair’s significant investment and expansion in the Calabria region, following President Occhiuto’s forward-thinking decision to abolish the municipal tax.”
“This strategic move enables us to rapidly increase our capacity in the region, adding an additional Boeing B737-800 at Reggio Calabria and Lamezia Terme, launching new routes across the Region.”
“Our Winter 2024 schedule for Calabria will deliver 82% growth compared to Winter 2023, with three based aircraft and a total investment of $300 million.”
“Furthermore, we plan to base another aircraft in Lamezia Terme for Summer 2025, bringing our total to four based aircraft in the region and increasing our total investment to $400 million.”
“This will deliver 50% growth next year for the region, supporting over 1,200 jobs and contributing to the economic growth of the region by enhancing tourism, improving connectivity, and offering lower fares to both citizens and visitors.”
“Ryanair now calls on all Italian regions to scrap this regressive tax. Sicily and Sardinia in particular should follow the positive example of Calabria and revolutionise their connectivity by scrapping the tax.”
“Ryanair could deliver an additional 3 million seats annually to Sicily and 2 million to Sardinia, transforming connectivity on a year-round basis, as we did in Trieste and will now do in Calabria.”
Overall…
In conclusion, the expansion of flights from Calabria with Ryanair is a big step in the right direction.
However, from this, it is clear that the airline’s work is not yet done.
The more pressure they place on regional taxes and win, the more flights they can add.
It ultimately means more flights for passengers on a low-cost basis.
All eyes will be on how much further the Irish low-cost carrier can take with municipal governments across Italy.
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