The first flight of the Italian airline Neos on the Milan–Punta Cana–Cartagena route landed in Colombia this Sunday, marking the beginning of a new connection between the two countries. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which carried 130 passengers, departed that same evening from Cartagena&#8217;s Rafael Núñez Airport bound for Milan.
Colombia&#8217;s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Rojas, highlighted the arrival of the inaugural flight on his X account. “At this hour, a new airline arrives in the country with the inaugural Milan-Cartagena flight bringing 130 tourists to discover the country of beauty,” he stated.
According to Aeronáutica Civil, this route, authorized in mid-year, will operate once a week and is initially scheduled to run until April 2025. Colombia&#8217;s Ambassador to Italy, Ligia Margarita Quessep, was also present on the inaugural flight.
Aeronáutica Civil, through its X account, welcomed passengers from Italy with a message of greeting: “Passengers from #Italy Welcome to the #CountryOfBeauty! The city of Cartagena cordially greets you with a warm welcome, wishing you a wonderful stay in Colombia, a touristic and social country, where change is advancing.”
This new connection aims to strengthen tourism in Cartagena de Indias and position Colombia as an attractive destination for European travelers. According to authorities, the weekly flight will increase tourism flows to the Caribbean region and promote cultural and economic exchange between the two countries.
<h2>Schedule for Neos&#8217; new destinations</h2>
<ul>
<li>Milan/Malpensa – Punta Cana flight NO 790 MXP 08:30 – 13:00 PUJ / Sunday.</li>
<li>Punta Cana – Cartagena flight NO 790 PUJ 15:00 – 16:30 CTG / Sunday.</li>
<li>Cartagena – Milan/Malpensa flight NO 790 CTG 18:00 – 09:40 (+1) MXP / Sunday.</li>
</ul>
Neos is the largest leisure airline in Italy, and the second largest in terms of long-haul destinations. The company has a strong presence in the main beach destinations in the Caribbean, connecting Milan with Cuba (Havana and Holguín), Mexico (Cancún), Guadeloupe (Pointe-à-Pitre), Jamaica (Montego Bay), the Bahamas (Freeport), and the Dominican Republic (La Romana). It also offers connections from Rome to Havana, Cancún, Pointe-à-Pitre, and La Romana.
The company operates a fleet of five Boeing 737-800, five Boeing 737 MAX 8, and six Boeing 787-9.
&nbsp;

Neos Launches Milan–Cartagena Route with Weekly Flights on Boeing 787-9

<a href="https://www.neosair.it/">NEOS</a> has scheduled a new point-to-point service between Italy and the United States with the launch of its nonstop flights between Bari and New York, providing the only transatlantic service from Palese Macchie Airport. 
In the summer season of 2024, the leisure airline had inaugurated a route between Palermo and the Big Apple, becoming the first airline to connect Sicily with North America.
The new nonstop route will connect Bari’s Palese Macchie Airport with New York-JFK and will begin on October 15, 2025, with a weekly frequency operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which have a capacity of 359 seats in two classes: 28 Premium Economy and 331 Economy.
The aircraft will depart from New York-JFK every Tuesday at 16:00 (local time) and land in Bari at 08:00 the next day. On the return leg, it will depart from Palese Macchie Airport every Wednesday at 08:00, arriving in the Big Apple at 13:50.
«After the flight connecting Sicily with the United States, we are further expanding our connections with New York, serving another important Italian region. Thanks to this new flight, we will have a daily offer from New York to Italy with four weekly frequencies from Milan, two from Palermo, and one from Bari, significantly contributing to the development of leisure and business flows between the two countries,» said Carlo Stradiotti, CEO of Neos.

Italy to the Big Apple: Neos Announces Weekly Bari to JFK Flights

<a href="https://www.ana.co.jp/en/us/">All Nippon Airways (ANA)</a> begins its nonstop flights between Milan-Malpensa and Tokyo-Haneda with three weekly services. Thus, it becomes the second airline to offer a direct connection between Japan and Italy, following ITA Airways, which operates a service between Rome and the Japanese capital. The last nonstop service between Milan and Tokyo was in March 2020, operated by the now-defunct Alitalia, which was suspended as a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Flight NH 207 was operated by a Boeing 787 registered as JA892A, which departed Tokyo-Haneda Airport at 01:23 local time on December 3 and landed at Milan-Malpensa Airport at 07:52 after 14 hours and 29 minutes.
ANA is scheduled to launch other European services such as Stockholm-Arlanda starting January 31, 2025, and Istanbul beginning February 12, 2025. Both connections will be operated by Boeing 787-8 aircraft with 184 seats. Additionally, ANA offers flights to Brussels, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Munich, and Vienna.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-347253 aligncenter" src="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1733226363782.jpeg" alt="" width="1080" height="607" srcset="https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/12/1733226363782.jpeg 1080w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/12/1733226363782-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/12/1733226363782-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/12/1733226363782-150x84.jpeg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px" />
«We are pleased and delighted to welcome All Nippon Airways to Malpensa. The airline is one of the most prestigious in the world, and its decision to activate the flight from Milan-Malpensa further confirms the significant interest of the industry in the potential of the Milan metropolitan area and northern Italy,» said Luigi Battuello, Commercial Director of SEA Milan Airports. 
After fourteen years, a Japanese airline returns to fly to Milan-Malpensa, the last being Japan Airlines, which operated with a Boeing 747-400. Asian flights at Milan-Malpensa Airport have grown by 61% in passenger traffic in the first 10 months of the year and represent 27% of long-haul traffic to and from Malpensa.
<h4>Flight schedule between Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and Milan-Malpensa (MXP)</h4>
<ul>
<li>Flight NH 207: HND 01:05 &#8211; MXP 08:30 Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.</li>
<li>Flight NH 208: MXP 10:30 &#8211; HND 07:30+1 Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.</li>
</ul>
The flights will be operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft configured with 215 seats in three classes: 48 in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy, and 146 in Economy. For this service, ANA offers travelers connections to destinations within Japan such as Osaka, Sapporo, Okinawa, Fukuoka, and other destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.
See also:<a href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/09/all-nippon-airways-es-la-segunda-aerolinea-en-asia-en-instalar-la-tecnologia-piel-de-tiburon-en-sus-boeing-777/">All Nippon Airways is the second airline in Asia to install «sharkskin» technology on its Boeing 777s</a>

All Nippon Airways Returns to Milan-Malpensa: New Direct Flights to Tokyo-Haneda

The industrial plan of ITA Airways and Lufthansa, recently approved by the European Commission, will begin implementation in January 2025. This agreement, marking one of the largest integrations in the aviation industry over the past two decades, aims to transform ITA into a key player within the Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline conglomerate.
The integration will not be limited to a simple commercial operation: it will require renegotiating thousands of contracts with suppliers and customers, aligning commercial infrastructures, optimizing connections and flight schedules, adjusting fare bands, and integrating loyalty programs. ITA’s «Volare» program will merge with Lufthansa’s «Miles&amp;More,» while aircraft maintenance plans and premium passenger management, including VIP lounge access, will also be updated.
<a href="https://www.corriere.it/economia/trasporti/aerei/24_dicembre_01/ita-lufthansa-il-piano-di-sviluppo-focus-su-fiumicino-nuote-rotte-e-ruolo-per-air-dolomiti" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to Leonard Berberi&#8217;s report in Corriere della Sera</a> (Italian), this process, expected to last at least two years, will also aim to reduce costs in areas such as handling, catering, and maintenance, while improving revenue management using Lufthansa’s operational «brain» in Zurich.
<h4>Fiumicino and the role of Air Dolomiti</h4>
Rome-Fiumicino will be incorporated into Lufthansa Group’s multi-hub system, strengthening connectivity for ITA Airways&#8217; long-haul flights. Within this framework, Air Dolomiti, the group’s Italian airline, will play a key role in feeding intercontinental connections from Rome. Additionally, a commercial agreement is being negotiated with SkyAlps, a regional airline based in Bolzano, to operate lower-demand routes between Rome and medium or small airports. However, this will require obtaining the IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) certification first.
<h4>New routes and network adjustments</h4>
The plan includes a significant expansion towards Africa and South America, with new routes to Bogotá (Colombia) and additional destinations in Brazil to complement existing ones in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In Europe, greater focus will be placed on the leisure segment, which has proven to be particularly profitable, while enhancing connectivity in Eastern Europe as a bridge to the Americas. Simultaneously, unprofitable or non-strategic routes will be eliminated to optimize the network.

Major Integration: ITA Airways Joins Lufthansa Group with Big Expansion Plans

Piaggio Aerospace delivered three P.180 Avanti EVO+ aircraft to the Italian Air Force, out of a total order of 15 units. These aircraft will be assigned to the Air Transport Training School (S.A.T.A.) in Pratica di Mare, near Rome.
The order placed by the Italian Air Force is part of a fleet modernization program, which includes the re-equipment of some additional aircraft currently in service. By February 2025, Piaggio plans to deliver two more aircraft, one completely new and the other modernized.
Both the new and modernized aircraft feature an original configuration that <a href="https://www.piaggioaerospace.it/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Piaggio Aerospace</a> designed and certified based on the latest technology. The P.180 comes with updated avionics and landing gear equipped with state-of-the-art anti-skid, braking, and steering systems.
The Piaggio P.180 Avanti is an executive turboprop capable of carrying up to nine passengers and is assembled at the Italian manufacturer&#8217;s facilities in Villanova d&#8217;Albenga and Genoa. Within its segment, it is one of the fastest aircraft on the market, with a maximum speed of 402 knots and a service ceiling of 41,000 feet.
Its structure combines a forward canard fuselage, main wings at the rear, and pusher-configured engines at the back of the fuselage. This design reduces aerodynamic drag, increases fuel efficiency, and enhances performance.
The Piaggio P.180 Avanti II is powered by two Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A-66B engines, and its cockpit is equipped with the Collins Pro Line 21 system, which facilitates navigation, reduces pilot workload, and increases flight safety.

Piaggio P.180 Avanti: Cutting-Edge Aircraft Delivered to Italian Air Force

<a style="color: #0000ff" href="https://www.ita-airways.com/en_us">ITA Airways</a> expands its short- and medium-haul destination network for the summer 2025 season by adding new seasonal routes. From Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Linate, the airline will launch services to the Mediterranean, including destinations in Greece, Spain, and the Italian islands.
<h4>New seasonal routes from ITA Airways for summer 2025</h4>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">From Rome-Fiumicino and Milan-Linate: Rhodes, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Heraklion, Corfu, Lampedusa, and Pantelleria</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">From Rome-Fiumicino: Zakynthos and Kefalonia.</li>
</ul>

ITA Airways Expands Summer Network with Mediterranean Routes

<a style="color: #0000ff" href="https://www.britishairways.com/travel/">British Airways</a> expands its intra-European network for the summer season with the addition of three Italian destinations. For next year, the British airline will add flights to Rimini, on the Adriatic coast, from Heathrow; Salerno, on the Amalfi coast, from Gatwick; and Olbia, in Sardinia, from London City.
The new services increase to 19 the total number of Italian destinations served by the airline, more than any other European country in the carrier’s network. The schedule for British Airways&#8217; short and medium-haul routes is not affected by the delivery delays of Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines for its Boeing 787 aircraft.
“Italy remains very popular with our customers, making it our top European destination and the second globally, behind the United States. Last month, we saw a 10% increase in searches for summer flights to Italy compared to 2023, so we’re delighted to offer an even wider selection of destinations next year. Rimini, Salerno, and Olbia are coastal destinations, so we expect them to be particularly popular with our leisure customers looking for sun, sea, and, of course, fantastic Italian cuisine,” said Neil Chernoff, Director of Network and Alliances at British Airways.
<h4>Flight schedule between Rimini (RMI) and London-Heathrow (LHR)</h4>
From May 15 to September 27, 2025.
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 532: LHR 15:20 &#8211; RMI 18:50 Monday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 532: LHR 16:00 &#8211; RMI 19:30 Thursday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 532: LHR 15:45 &#8211; RMI 19:15 Saturday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 533: RMI 19:40 &#8211; LHR 21:15 Monday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 533: RMI 20:15 &#8211; LHR 21:50 Thursday.</li>
<li>Flight BA 533: RMI 20:00 &#8211; LHR 21:35 Saturday.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Flight schedule between Salerno (QSR) and London-Gatwick (LGW)</h4>
From May 22 to October 25, 2025 (operated by BA Euroflyer).
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2600: LGW 14:10 &#8211; QSR 18:00 Monday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2600: LGW 15:25 &#8211; QSR 19:15 Thursday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2600: LGW 15:50 &#8211; QSR 19:40 Saturday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2601: QSR 18:50 &#8211; LGW 20:40 Monday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2601: QSR 20:05 &#8211; LGW 21:55 Thursday.</li>
<li>Flight BA 2601: QSR 18:50 &#8211; LGW 20:40 Saturday</li>
</ul>
<h4>Flight schedule between Olbia (OLB) and London-City (LCY)</h4>
From May 25 to September 28, 2025.
Initially, the service will operate one weekly flight, and starting July 16, the frequency will increase to two weekly flights.
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2335: LCY 12:30 &#8211; OLB 15:55 Wednesday.</li>
<li>Flight BA 2335: LCY 12:35 &#8211; OLB 15:45 Saturday.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Flight BA 2336: OLB 16:40 &#8211; LCY 18:05 Wednesday.</li>
<li>Flight BA 2336: OLB 16:35 &#8211; LCY 18:00 Saturday.}</li>
</ul>
See also: <a style="color: #ffcc00" href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/11/modern-elegance-inside-british-airways-new-first-class-suites-for-the-a380/">From the Concorde to the A380: British Airways unveils its new First Class</a>

British Airways Expands Summer Schedule: New Flights to Rimini, Salerno, and Olbia

<a href="https://www.volotea.com/es/ofertas-vuelos/desde-bilbao/">Volotea</a> announced its offering for the summer 2025 season from Palermo (PMO), Italy, adding two new destinations: <a href="https://aviacionline.com/tag/bilbao/">Bilbao (BIO)</a>, Spain, and Heraklion (HER), Greece, strengthening its presence in Sicily while now connecting to the Basque Country and the island of Crete.
Specifically, the Palermo-Bilbao route will be operational starting April 12, 2025, with two weekly flights (Tuesdays and Saturdays), offering over 20,500 seats. This marks the first Spanish destination that Volotea offers from Palermo. The connection with Heraklion, however, will be available from July 8, 2025, to August 26, with a weekly flight (Tuesdays) and a capacity of 2,880 seats for sale.
Bilbao will be the fifth Spanish city with flights from Palermo, joining connections to Barcelona (Ryanair and Vueling), Madrid (Iberia and Ryanair), Palma de Mallorca (EasyJet), and Valencia (Ryanair).
<h4>Volotea prepares to close a year marked by growth in Palermo</h4>
<a href="https://aviacionline.com/tag/volotea/">Volotea</a> highlighted its strong performance in Palermo between January and October 2024. According to the airline, it carried over 443,000 passengers (+15% compared to 2023) on 2,800 flights (+15%) with a capacity of 481,000 seats (+15%). Its load factor reached 92%, and during the peak activity period, it employed 42 people at Falcone e Borsellino Airport.
By the end of 2024, the company projects reaching 501,000 passengers, a 16% increase compared to the previous year, with nearly 3,200 flights and a total capacity of 543,000 seats.
“Palermo represents a very important city for our growth objectives: here we opened our second Italian operational base in March 2013, and since then, we have consistently confirmed our commitment locally. To date, we can say we have transported a total of more than 5.2 million passengers to Palermo, and we obviously do not intend to stop here,” said Valeria Rebasti, Volotea’s International Market Director.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-346010" src="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Flightmap-BIO-PMO-HER-ATH-PMO-BES_BOD-PMO-FLR_JTR-PMO-LDE_LIL-PMO-LYS_NAP-PMO-NTE_OLB-PMO-SXB_TLS-PMO-VRN_ZTH-PMO.png" alt="" width="1200" height="600" srcset="https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/Flightmap-BIO-PMO-HER-ATH-PMO-BES_BOD-PMO-FLR_JTR-PMO-LDE_LIL-PMO-LYS_NAP-PMO-NTE_OLB-PMO-SXB_TLS-PMO-VRN_ZTH-PMO.png 1200w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/Flightmap-BIO-PMO-HER-ATH-PMO-BES_BOD-PMO-FLR_JTR-PMO-LDE_LIL-PMO-LYS_NAP-PMO-NTE_OLB-PMO-SXB_TLS-PMO-VRN_ZTH-PMO-300x150.png 300w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/Flightmap-BIO-PMO-HER-ATH-PMO-BES_BOD-PMO-FLR_JTR-PMO-LDE_LIL-PMO-LYS_NAP-PMO-NTE_OLB-PMO-SXB_TLS-PMO-VRN_ZTH-PMO-768x384.png 768w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/Flightmap-BIO-PMO-HER-ATH-PMO-BES_BOD-PMO-FLR_JTR-PMO-LDE_LIL-PMO-LYS_NAP-PMO-NTE_OLB-PMO-SXB_TLS-PMO-VRN_ZTH-PMO-150x75.png 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" />
According to the Cirium platform, Volotea’s busiest period in Palermo will be July and August, connecting it to 17 destinations:
<ul>
<li>Spain: Bilbao.</li>
<li>France: Brest, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Lille, Lourdes, Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse.</li>
<li>Greece: Athens, Heraklion, Thira, and Zakynthos.</li>
<li>Italy: Florence, Naples, Olbia, and Verona.</li>
</ul>
This season, Ancona, Deauville, Nice, and Turin will not be featured. Instead, Venice will operate from December to January.

Discover Volotea’s Summer 2025 Plans: New Flights to Spain and Greece

<a href="https://www.ita-airways.com/en_us">ITA Airways</a> launches it&#8217;s Rome Fiumicino-Bangkok route, operating five weekly flights and becoming the only Italian airline flying to Thailand. The Italian and Thai capitals have not had air service between them since March 2020, when <a href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/04/thai-airways-se-despide-de-sus-boeing-747-en-una-ceremonia-especial/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thai Airways</a> suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Flight AZ 758 was operated on an Airbus A330neo registered as EI-TYC and named “Stefano Baldini,” which departed from Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport at 3:46 PM local time on November 16 and landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 8:22 AM the following day, after ten hours and 36 minutes.
As part of its debut in Thailand, ITA Airways presented its network, brand, and winter season highlights to the local press during an event held in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) at the Capella Hotel in Bangkok.
The new Rome-Bangkok route expands the company’s network in Southeast Asia. The Thai capital is a destination that attracts both leisure and business travelers, and the launch of this route boosts the continuous growth of the company’s network.
«We are proud to inaugurate our new non-stop flight Bangkok &#8211; Rome, the only direct connection between the two capitals, reinforcing our commercial strategy to develop ITA Airways&#8217; intercontinental network. This route represents a key milestone for us as it marks our entry into the Thai market and further extends our reach in Asia, along with our connections to Tokyo, New Delhi, and Malé in the Maldives. As our eighth new destination this year, this offering underscores our dedication to creating more travel opportunities for our customers, focusing on Thailand as a key market for both leisure and business travel,» said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO of Volare.
<h4>Flight schedule between Rome (FCO) and Bangkok (BKK)</h4>
<ul>
<li>Flight AZ 758: FCO 15:15 &#8211; BKK 07:40+1 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.</li>
<li>Flight AZ 759: BKK 12:15 &#8211; FCO 19:15 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.</li>
</ul>
The route is operated with Airbus A330-900neo aircraft with a capacity of 291 seats in three classes: 30 Business Class, 24 Premium Economy, and 237 Economy. This service will also be available during the summer season with three weekly flights.
For this winter season, ITA Airways will operate 16 domestic routes, 24 international, and 15 intercontinental routes. Last month, the airline began services to Dubai and will offer a seasonal connection to Malé (Maldives) starting in December.

Rome-Bangkok Route Restored: ITA Airways Expands Network to Southeast Asia

<article>
<header>The Italian government and Lufthansa reached an agreement to sell an additional stake in ITA Airways to the German airline. The news was announced Monday night, just before the deadline to present the agreement to European regulators. After extensive negotiations over the price and terms of the agreement, the agreement will now need to be approved by the European Commission, which is responsible for ensuring fair competition in the market.
</header>
<section>According to the Italian press, Lufthansa requested a €10 million discount on the original purchase price of €325 million for a 49% stake, a request that the Italian government rejected, creating an impasse in the negotiations. According to sources from Yahoo! cited by Aeroin, this sale follows Lufthansa&#8217;s initial acquisition of a 41% stake in ITA in May 2023, with the right to expand its stake to 100% in the medium term.
<h2>Sale conditions and regulatory requirements</h2>
The Italian Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, confirmed that the additional 49% stake would be sold at the same value. Furthermore, Giorgetti accepted the European Commission&#8217;s requirement to transfer a series of take-off and landing slots to other airlines to maintain fair competition in the market.
Lufthansa justified its discount request by citing a projected decline in ITA&#8217;s value for the last quarter of 2024. However, a source from the Italian government stated that «Italy is not selling its airline at a banana price,» reflecting the country&#8217;s importance on this transaction.
</section>
<section>The disagreement over the price has created a tense scenario between the Italian government and Lufthansa. Giorgetti refused to sign a package of commitments with the European Commission, unlike Lufthansa, emphasizing his defense of Italian interests in the agreement. When asked about a possible meeting with Lufthansa&#8217;s CEO, Carsten Spohr, Giorgetti noted that «it would be appropriate.»</section>
</article>

ITA Airways: Lufthansa set to acquire additional stake

The Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) reported that Ryanair will refund consumers more than one and a half million euros for additional check-in related costs. This decision follows an investigation into possible unfair commercial practices, due to misleading information provided by the airline regarding the online check-in process and extra charges applied if it was not completed within the specified time frame.
The <a href="https://www.agcm.it/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AGCM</a> had noted that the conditions for online check-in offered by Ryanair could mislead consumers by not clearly outlining the time frames for the service or warning about potential additional charges if the check-in was not completed on time. Additionally, it was observed that the priority boarding and hand baggage options were automatically applied to both outbound and return flights, without the ability to select them independently.
As part of the agreement, Ryanair will fully reimburse consumers who filed a claim between 2021 and 2023 without knowing the online check-in conditions, with an amount of 55 euros representing the full cost of airport check-in. Additionally, customers who paid the airport check-in fee will receive compensation of 15 euros or a 20-euro voucher for Ryanair services.
See also: <a href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/10/ryanair-presenta-su-programacion-de-invierno-en-poznan-con-23-rutas-dos-de-ellas-a-espana/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryanair presents its winter schedule in Poznan with 23 routes, two of them to Spain</a>
Furthermore, Ryanair committed to adjusting its online platform to allow users to select priority boarding and hand baggage options independently for outbound and return flights, showing differentiated costs for each leg. It also agreed to update its website, app, and booking confirmation email to specify the time frame in which passengers can check in online for free and the applicable airport fees.
This screenshot from the agreement document with Ryanair shows a planned website update:
<a href="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ryanair-modifcaciones-web.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-344789" src="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ryanair-modifcaciones-web.jpg" alt="" width="1034" height="669" srcset="https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ryanair-modifcaciones-web.jpg 1034w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ryanair-modifcaciones-web-300x194.jpg 300w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ryanair-modifcaciones-web-768x497.jpg 768w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ryanair-modifcaciones-web-150x97.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1034px) 100vw, 1034px" /></a>
The full agreement document with all the modifications can be downloaded <a href="https://www.agcm.it/dotcmsdoc/allegati-news/PS12689_Formulario_impegni_omi.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at this link</a>.

Ryanair Agrees to Refund €1.5 Million for Extra Check-In Fees

<a href="https://www.ita-airways.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ITA Airways</a> has announced a new direct connection between Rome Fiumicino and Tripoli Mitiga, beginning January 12, 2025, with two weekly flights every Thursday and Sunday. According to the schedule, flights will depart Rome Fiumicino at 9:15 a.m., arriving in Tripoli at 12:10 p.m. The return flight leaves Tripoli at 1:05 p.m. and lands in Rome at 2:10 p.m., local times.
The airline describes this route as a part of its commitment to support Italy&#8217;s business presence in Libya, emphasizing that “Libya is a market of great strategic importance.” ITA Airways notes that the connection will assist with travel to a country where “several significant industrial projects are led by Italian companies.”
See also: <a href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/10/ita-airways-will-fly-to-bangkok-during-the-2025-summer-season/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ITA Airways will fly to Bangkok during the 2025 summer season</a>
The launch of the Rome–Tripoli route was made possible with essential backing from the Italian Prime Minister&#8217;s Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Transport, and the civil aviation authorities from both Italy and Libya. Andrea Benassi, General Manager of ITA Airways, highlighted that the airline “has worked closely with the government and ENAC” to establish this route. Benassi noted that the new flights will not only enhance trade but also “support the many Italian businesses operating in the North African country.”
With Tripoli, ITA Airways now serves 55 destinations in its winter season. Tickets for the Rome–Tripoli route are available through the airline’s official sales channels, including its website, customer service centers, travel agencies, and airport ticket counters.
<figure id="attachment_344526" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-344526" style="width: 1835px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-344526" src="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024.jpg" alt="Red intercontinental de ITA Airways - Noviembre 2024 (Cirium Schedule Mapper)" width="1845" height="734" srcset="https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024.jpg 1845w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024-300x119.jpg 300w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024-1600x637.jpg 1600w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024-768x306.jpg 768w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024-1536x611.jpg 1536w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/red-ita-airways-network-november-2024-150x60.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1845px) 100vw, 1845px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-344526" class="wp-caption-text">Red intercontinental de ITA Airways &#8211; Noviembre 2024 (Cirium Schedule Mapper)</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_344525" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-344525" style="width: 1205px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ita-airways-network-red-europea-november-2024.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-344525" src="http://aviacionline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/ita-airways-network-red-europea-november-2024.jpg" alt="Red europea de ITA Airways - Noviembre 2024 (Cirium Schedule Mapper)" width="1215" height="744" srcset="https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ita-airways-network-red-europea-november-2024.jpg 1215w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ita-airways-network-red-europea-november-2024-300x184.jpg 300w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ita-airways-network-red-europea-november-2024-768x470.jpg 768w, https://aviacionlinecdn.eleco.com.ar/media/2024/11/ita-airways-network-red-europea-november-2024-150x92.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 1215px) 100vw, 1215px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-344525" class="wp-caption-text">Red europea de ITA Airways &#8211; Noviembre 2024 (Cirium Schedule Mapper)</figcaption></figure>
&nbsp;

ITA Airways Opens Ticket Sales for Rome–Tripoli Route

American Airlines is boosting its transatlantic network with four additional routes to Italy for the summer 2025 season, boosting its vacation offering. The carrier will increase flights to Rome-Fiumicino, Naples and Venice.
“As Italy remains popular for summer travel, American is making it easier than ever for customers to shop, dine or relax in their favorite destinations. Whether reveling in the history of Rome or relaxing on a beach in the Mediterranean, American’s network will offer more ways for customers to plan their perfect itinerary,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning.
American will launch new service between Chicago O’Hare and Naples in 2025, becoming the only airline to operate this route and the carrier with the largest seat offering to Naples.
American&#8217;s Texas-Europe offering is growing with a new Dallas/Fort Worth-Venice route, and passengers from Venice can access 230 destinations in North America.
The airline is adding a second daily flight on the Philadelphia-Rome Fiumicino route, complementing new service to Milan-Malpensa, for a total of five daily flights between Pennsylvania and Italy. In Florida, the new Miami-Rome Fiumicino route will now begin in June instead of July.
<h3>American&#8217;s new routes in Italy scheduled for summer 2025</h3>
<ul>
<li>Chicago O&#8217;Hare-Naples: daily Boeing 787-8 flights starting May 6</li>
<li>Dallas/Fort Worth-Venice: daily Boeing 787-8 flights starting June 5</li>
<li>Miami-Rome Fiumicino: daily Boeing 777-200ER flights starting June 5</li>
<li>Philadelphia-Rome Fiumicino: second daily Boeing 787-8/-9 flight starting June 5</li>
</ul>
Through its business partners such as British Airways and Iberia, American offers more options for flying to Europe. Next year, a daily frequency is added to services from Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami to London-Heathrow and a new route is introduced between Chicago O&#8217;Hare and Madrid. Thanks to these partnerships, customers can access more than 175 destinations in the Old Continent.
Other services American will begin next year include Charlotte-Athens and the resumption of the Philadelphia-Edinburgh route.
See also: <a href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/09/jetsmart-joins-american-airlines-aadvantage-mileage-program/">Latin American aviation leaders gather in Nassau to discuss future of connectivity and regulation</a>

American Airlines Adds Four Additional Services to Italy for Summer 2025

<a href="https://www.skyteam.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SkyTeam</a>, the global airline alliance, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with <a href="https://www.trenitalia.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trenitalia</a>, Italy’s leading rail operator, to offer customers a wider range of destinations across the country. Announced at the World Aviation Festival in Amsterdam, the partnership will allow travelers to combine air and high-speed train journeys in a single booking, using Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa high-speed services.
With this new partnership, SkyTeam customers will be able to book journeys that seamlessly combine air and rail segments. For instance, passengers can fly from New York-JFK to Rome Fiumicino, collect their luggage, and continue their journey on a Frecciarossa high-speed train. According to SkyTeam, this collaboration will strengthen its intermodal travel strategy by providing more «high-quality, high-speed rail connections» and enhancing the overall travel experience.
«We are delighted to join forces with Trenitalia as our second non-airline partner, strengthening SkyTeam’s intermodal travel strategy by offering more high-quality, high-speed rail connections, supporting our mission to future-proof travel,» said SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux. He emphasized that Italy is a key market for both business and leisure travelers, and the partnership will provide more choice and flexibility.
Mario Alovisi, Trenitalia’s Marketing Director and CEO of Italia Loyalty, stated that partnering with SkyTeam «brings Trenitalia closer to its vision of becoming one of the leading players in the European rail transportation market.» Alovisi highlighted that this collaboration enhances Trenitalia&#8217;s offer of reliable high-quality rail travel, complementing international flight schedules and promoting more responsible travel.
Once the partnership is fully in place, SkyTeam frequent flyers will be able to earn and redeem miles on eligible Frecciarossa train routes. Similarly, members of Trenitalia’s CartaFRECCIA loyalty program will be able to accumulate and use points on selected SkyTeam flights. SkyPriority services will also be available at certain train stations, benefiting SkyTeam Elite and Elite Plus members, as well as Trenitalia’s CartaFRECCIA Platinum and Gold members.
Currently, 14 SkyTeam member airlines serve Italy from regions across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Greater China.
Trenitalia provides direct connections to and from 23 Italian airports, including SkyTeam&#8217;s hub at Rome Fiumicino. The Frecciarossa network reaches 150 destinations in Italy with over 270 daily services, and also operates in Spain and France. Italian cities connected by SkyTeam airlines with Frecciarossa services include Rome, Milan, Turin, Venice, Genoa, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Verona, and Bari.

SkyTeam partners with Trenitalia to integrate air and rail journeys in Italy

Ryanair is launching 10 new routes from Milan Malpensa Airport for the 2024/2025 winter season, including destinations in Spain, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Morocco, Paris and a domestic service. The low-cost airline will add an eighth aircraft to its Milan-Malpensa base, increasing traffic by 10% to 4.5 million passengers.
On the other hand, the Milan-Bergamo base will see a reduction from 24 to 20 aircraft, with a 5% decrease of its 20 million seats and 5 routes, as the low-cost airline will distribute its capacity in Italy by increasing its presence in Trieste and Reggio, which have abolished the municipal surcharge to encourage and boost passenger traffic growth.
To boost tourism, the governments of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and Calabria regions have eliminated the municipal tax at their airports. This move allowed Ryanair and other airlines to create new routes and new jobs. Ryanair has based three aircraft and more than 20 new services in these regions in winter 2024/2025, following the decision to abolish the municipal tax.
“Ryanair calls on the Meloni government to abolish the municipal tax at all Italian airports, as the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Calabria regions have already done in 2024, which would allow Italian airports to enjoy rapid growth in traffic, visitors and employment in the coming years. Ryanair would respond with a $4 billion investment in Italy, adding 40 new aircraft, more than 20 million passengers per year on 250 new routes and 1,500 new Ryanair jobs in the Italian regions,” said Michael O&#8217;Leary, Ryanair Group CEO.
<h3>New Ryanair routes from Milan-Malpensa</h3>
<ul>
<li>Athens, Greece.</li>
<li>Budapest, Hungary.</li>
<li>Paris, France.</li>
<li>Fuerteventura, Spain.</li>
<li>Krakow, Poland.</li>
<li>Palma de Mallorca, Spain.</li>
<li>Marrakech, Morocco.</li>
<li>Reggio Calabria, Italy.</li>
<li>Rzeszów, Poland.</li>
<li>Tallinn, Estonia.</li>
</ul>
See also: <a style="color: #ffcc00;" href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/04/a-new-famous-irish-in-trieste-ryanair-opens-its-19th-base-in-italy/">CEO de Ryanair propone limitar la venta de alcohol en aeropuertos</a>

Ryanair launches 10 routes from Milan-Malpensa and calls to abolish municipal tax at all Italian airports

ITA Airways will resume its flights between Rome-Fiumicino Airport and Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion starting September 4.
Initially, the Italian airline will operate a daily service departing from Rome as AZ806 at 9:10 AM, arriving in Tel Aviv at 1:30 PM. The return flight as AZ807 will depart at 2:30 PM, arriving in Rome at 5:15 PM (all local times). The flights will be operated by Airbus A321neo aircraft with a capacity of 165 passengers.
See also: <a href="https://aviacionline.com/2024/08/ita-airways-started-flying-to-a-second-destination-in-saudi-arabia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ITA Airways started flying to a second destination in Saudi Arabia</a>
On October 1, ITA Airways will resume its night flights to Tel Aviv. The entire schedule will remain subject to the evolving geopolitical situation in the Middle East, and the airline has emphasized that they will continuously assess the potential impact on their operations.

ITA Airways resumes its flights to Tel Aviv

ITA Airways expands its services in the Middle East with the start of its non-stop flights between Rome-Fiumicino and Jeddah, the airline&#8217;s second route in Saudi Arabia, a fast-growing and strategically important market.
Flight AZ 848 was operated on an Airbus A321LR registered EI-HXF, which took off from Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport at 16:15 local time on August 1 and landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport at 21:20, after four hours and six minutes.
«We are delighted to inaugurate our first non-stop flight between Jeddah and Rome, reinforcing our presence in Saudi Arabia, a rapidly growing market,This new opening follows the launch of the non-stop connection to Riyadh in June and is part of our summer network expansion, which boasts excellent booking results.» Operated with the latest generation A321neo, this new flight will expand the medium-haul network and enhance commercial and cultural exchanges between the Arabian Peninsula and Italy, while providing connections to our range of destinations accessible through our Rome Fiumicino hub,» said Emiliana Limosani, commercial director of ITA Airways and chief executive officer of Volare.
<h3>Flight schedule</h3>
<ul>
<li>Rome &#8211; Jeddah Flight AZ 848 FCO 15:35 &#8211; JED 21:10 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.</li>
<li>Jeddah &#8211; Rome Flight AZ 849 JED 03:30 &#8211; FCO 07:00 Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.</li>
</ul>
The route is operated by Airbus A321LR aircraft with 165 seats in three classes: 12 Business Class, 12 Premium Economy, and 141 Economy.
With the introduction of the new non-stop service to Jeddah, ITA Airways operates 57 destinations during the summer season, of which 16 are domestic, 26 international, and 15 intercontinental. In addition, during the peak summer season, the airline is scheduled to fly to 12 seasonal destinations to the most in-demand locations in the Mediterranean.
This summer, ITA Airways has significantly expanded its intercontinental network, to date the airline has inaugurated services to Chicago O&#8217;Hare and Toronto-Pearson in North America, Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, Accra and Dakar in Africa. Other services announced for the upcoming winter season include Dubai on October 27 and Bangkok on November 16.

ITA Airways started flying to a second destination in Saudi Arabia

ITA Airways and Croatia Airlines signed an extension of their codeshare agreement with the aim of strengthening connectivity options between Italy and Croatia.
As they detailed through a statement, currently routes linking Rome (FCO) with Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik operated by Croatia Airlines already operate in codeshare with ITA Airways.
Now, the Croatian airline&#8217;s OU code will be added to ITA Airways&#8217; domestic flights between Rome and Palermo, Bologna, Florence and Naples.
Croatia Airlines currently operates two weekly flights to Rome from Dubrovnik and one daily flight from Split, in both cases as a stopover for flights originating in Zagreb.
«This strengthened codeshare agreement between ITA Airways and Croatia Airlines will provide both business and leisure travelers with more choices and convenience when flying within the networks of both airlines. Italy will be more accessible to Croatia Airlines&#8217; customers, thanks to seamless connections from Rome to the listed domestic destinations,» the Italian airline said in a statement.
«Similarly, ITA Airways will benefit from increased traffic flows between Italy and Croatia, catering to both leisure and business travelers,» they concluded.

Italy