Ryanair is investing in Milan (but not in Rome) this summer 2026.
Three new aircraft at Malpensa and Bergamo airports
The focus is on costs, which must remain “competitive, and are an important strategic lever that allows Ryanair to offer increasingly attractive fares to its passengers.” said Eddie Wilson, CEO of the Irish low-cost airline in Milan recently, outlining the investments in Malpensa and Bergamo for summer 2026. The two bases will see the addition of “three aircraft for a total of 33, which will serve 156 routes, including seven new routes, with the aim of carrying 20.3 million passengers per year, about 9% more than in 2025”.
Four new routes from Malpensa and three from Bergamo
Milan Bergamo will see the addition of two new aircraft, bringing the total to 24, and three new routes to Lemnos (Greece), Pescara and Rabat; the low-cost airline estimates 14 million passengers (+6%) at the Bergamo airport. Malpensa will have one more aircraft (9 in total) and four new routes: Edinburgh, Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Tirana and Warsaw. The airport is targeting six million passengers, a growth of +15%.
“We would carry 20 million more passengers per year”
“We are growing significantly at both Lombardy airports: we have worked closely with SACBO and SEA to make this growth possible, showing that competitive conditions and efficient operations are essential to unlock real growth,- says Wilson. -This is why we are reiterating our appeal to the Italian government to cancel the municipal surcharge. This has already happened in several Italian regions, a list that is growing: after Friuli, Abruzzo, Calabria and Sicily, it now also includes the small airports in Emilia Romagna. If the Italian government abolished the tax we would be ready to operate 250 additional routes with 40 more aircraft at Italian bases to carry 20 million more passengers per year."
The situation at Rome's airports
Rome's competitive disadvantage is penalized “by excessively high taxes - almost €50 per passenger - which make Rome's airports inadequate compared to other European airports”, said Wilson who added that in 2026 Rome will not see any growth due to the cap on the number of flights at Ciampino and the excessive airport charges applied by ADR (+44% at Ciampino and +15% at Fiumicino by 2028). “These anti-growth policies are making Rome increasingly less competitive compared to other major capitals such as London, which does not impose flight limits, and compared to EU countries such as Sweden, Hungary and Slovakia or certain Italian regions, where governments are actively reducing aviation taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism and employment.” Due to excessive access costs, Rome and some Italian regions – particularly the islands – are experiencing a reduction in connectivity, with legacy carriers reducing capacity on domestic routes. In practice, the Roman summer will include 16 based aircraft (10 at Fiumicino and 6 at Ciampino), for a total of 75 routes served (52 of which at Fiumicino) and a forecast of 10.6 million passengers per year.
32 Italian airports and 800 routes in Italy
Ryanair has every intention of maintaining its position as number one in terms of passenger traffic in Italy: the low-cost airline dominates our market with 32 airports served (including 20 bases, including the new one in Trapani from January 2026), 800 routes (40 of which are new) and a target of carrying 69 million passengers per year. On a European level, with 96 bases and 224 airports served in 36 countries, the company aims to reach “207 million in the 2026 financial year and then rise to 300 million in 2034”.
