by MK
The buzz is real, and all eyes are on Thursday’s press conference for the scoop, but no one’s shooting down the info dropped by Milan’s Ansa agency: Ryanair, the budget-friendly carrier, is gearing up to establish a fresh hub at Trieste-Ronchi dei Legionari airport.
CEO Micheal O’Leary is staying tight-lipped. With 17 existing bases across Italy, Trieste and Reggio Calabria are likely next in line. Turning Ronchi dei Legionari into a base essentially means that, come day’s end, one or more of their planes will be making a pit stop.
The game plan? Boosting the number of routes and passengers. In 2023, they hit a historic high with a whopping 932 thousand travelers.
There’s growth potential aplenty, thanks in part to the adjacent train station’s intermodality. Ryanair has held the title of top dog in Italy for years, especially in the aftermath of Alitalia’s decline, only somewhat patched up by ITA.
Just last month, Ryanair confirmed plans for two fresh routes from Trieste to Brindisi and Seville in 2024. On the flip side, September saw the announcement of a winter hiatus for the Cagliari flight. That move sparked some controversy, with the government stepping in to rein in prices for domestic routes to Italian islands. Stay tuned for more details.
