Ryanair to add Italian base in Sicily

Irish budget airline Ryanair will open another Italian base, this time in Sicily, after pulling out of a plan to establish a base in Forli for its expanded operations in the country.

The six domestic routes that had been planned from Forli have been cancelled, and those with bookings on the services will receive refunds.

Instead of the new services operating from Forli, from next May Ryanair will fly two aircraft from Trapani, in Sicily.

The Trapani flights will connect Sicily with Brussels, Oslo, Paris, Turin and Venice. Existing service to Rome be increased to twice daily, and flights Milan will be increase to once daily.

Ryanair’s move was announced less than a week after the carrier revealed that it would withdraw from Valencia, in Spain, following a dispute over the lack of local government funding to promote the airport.

Deputy chief executive of Ryanair, Michael Cawley, commented: “Trapani becomes Ryanair’s latest Italian base at a time when Italy becomes Ryanair’s second largest market after the UK.

“This exciting development comes just one week after we announced two new bases in Sardinia and increased frequencies and routes in Rome, Milan and Bologna.

“We very much regret the decision by the board of Forli airport to rescind its agreement with Ryanair, but highlight that in the long term it will be passengers, the local economy and the airport that will lose out as we bring our guaranteed lowest air fares to other Italian airports and bases.”

Thanks to www.travelmole.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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