Ryanair Plans Megabuck Milan Expansion

Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, launched its own “Manifesto for Malpensa” in response to Alitalia’s plan to cut half of its 340 daily flights from the airport.

As Lombardy’s largest low fares airline, Ryanair is determined that the people of Lombardy should remain connected to the rest of Italy and Europe despite Alitalia’s plans to abandon the region.

Ryanair has demonstrated the ability of its low fares to deliver rapid growth at hundreds of European airports and in less than ten years has developed a network of 144 routes to/from 22 Italian airports.

Despite this unprecedented growth, the number of passengers enjoying low fare flights in Lombardy remains massively underdeveloped, and by working with Orio al Serio to the east of Milan and Malpensa to the west of Milan, Ryanair’s Manifesto for Malpensa would remove this inequity.

In the greater metropolitan area of London for example, 18 million passengers annually enjoy Ryanair’s low fares at three London airports yet in Milan which has the same greater metropolitan population of 7 million inhabitants, this number is six times lower.

There is clearly room for growth to both the east and the west of Milan and Ryanair’s manifesto for Malpensa would ensure that Lombardy realises its true potential once passengers have an alternative to the excessively high fares charged by Alitalia.