easyJet (London Luton) will open bases at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate early next year, taking advantage of conditions recently approved by the European Commission (EC) concerning Lufthansa Group's acquisition of ITA - Italia Trasporto Aereo (Milan Linate).
In a December 11 media statement, easyJet said it would base five aircraft at Linate in time for the 2025 Northern Hemisphere summer season after the EC approved it taking up slots ceded by Lufthansa. For the same reason, the budget carrier will also base three aircraft at Fiumicino.
Last month, the EC approved a package of remedies proposed by the Lufthansa parent that will see it acquire a 41% state in ITA Airways. The remedies include providing slots at Milan and Rome to competitor carriers to allow them to launch routes from there to certain airports in Central Europe. easyJet and Air France (AF, Paris CDG) are the primary beneficiaries of this. By investing in ITA, Lufthansa hopes to secure a bigger slice of the southern European market.
easyJet already flies from Linate to Paris Orly, Paris CDG, London Gatwick, Amsterdam Schiphol, and Berlin Brandenburg International. The new base will see it add flights to Manchester International and Edinburgh from March 30. The low-cost carrier also currently operates from Fiumicino to Berlin, Geneva, Nice, Lyon St. Exupéry, Bordeaux Mérignac, Nantes, Paris Orly, Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, CH, London Gatwick, Bristol International, and Manchester. By next summer, easyJet will have 38 aircraft based in Italy, making this the airline's second biggest market after the United Kingdom.
