Ryanair grows in Milan, but slows on Rome: "Blame taxes and flight limits"

Italy continues to be one of the key markets for Ryanair, but the plan for summer 2026 tells a story of lights and shadows. On the one hand, Milan, where the Irish airline is accelerating with new routes and a growing offer.

On the other Rome, which remains essentially stagnant, crushed--according to Ryanair--by high taxes, rising airport fees and operational constraints that hold back development.

Milan at the center of summer growth

For the summer of 2026, Ryanair is decisively strengthening its presence at the airports of Bergamo and Malpensa, confirming Milan as one of its major European hubs. At the heart of the announcement are mainly the seven new routes, which further expand a network that is already among the most intricate on the continent.

The offering is being enriched in multiple directions, with new destinations ranging from the Mediterranean to Eastern Europe, from the UK to North Africa.

Among the most striking new features is Lemnos, a Greek island still little known to the general public, which enters the Ryanair network from Milan for the first time. A choice that strengthens the presidium on the Aegean islands, increasingly central to the airline's summer strategies.

On the Eastern European front come Plovdiv e Warsaw. The first brings into the network one of Bulgaria's oldest cities, increasingly appreciated for its historical and cultural heritage. The second consolidates connections with Poland, a booming market for both tourism and ethnic and business traffic.

There is no shortage of the UK, with the opening of the route on Edinburgh, a beloved destination for city breaks and exploring Scotland during the summer season. A connection that further strengthens the Milan-UK axis, which has always been one of the most profitable for the carrier.

Toward the Balkans debuts Tirana, now firmly among the most popular emerging destinations for Italians, while on the domestic front comes the return of Pescara, which brings back a direct link between Milan and Abruzzo, a region increasingly popular for sea, villages and nature tourism.

Finally, one of the most interesting openings looks south: Rabat enters among the new destinations served from Milan, marking a further strengthening of Ryanair's presence in Morocco. A route that intercepts both tourist traffic and those seeking new cultural destinations outside the more traditional circuits.

An ever-expanding offer for the Lombard basin

With these new routes Ryanair continues to build an increasingly diverse and extensive network from Milan. The new connections draw a range of offerings:

• From the Greek islands less traveled
• To the historic cities of Eastern Europe
• From the great classics of urban tourism
• To new openings to North Africa

A mix designed to intercept different audiences, from city breakers to leisure travelers, from young people to families, with the aim of making Milan one of the main hubs for low-cost traffic in Southern Europe.

Rome remains stationary: no new course and zero growth

If Milan accelerates, Instead, Rome remains at the pole. For summer 2026 Ryanair confirms its operations at Fiumicino and Ciampino, but without introducing new routes or significantly increasing capacity.

According to the company, the reasons are known and structural:

• the limit to flights over Ciampino, considered too restrictive
• l'gradual increase in airport fares
• l'municipal surtax, higher than other Italian and European airports

A mix that, again according to Ryanair, makes it increasingly unprofitable to invest in the Capital and slows down the expansion of connections, especially those domestic and to southern regions and islands.

A two-speed strategy

The Summer 2026 plan thus photographs a now obvious strategy: Ryanair grows where it finds favorable operating conditions and expands its offerings where it sees room for development. But, as is often the case, the Irish airline is using its market clout as negotiating leverage, trying to steer airport and policy choices according to its own wishes.

This is nothing new: on several occasions around Europe, when conditions were deemed unsatisfactory, Ryanair has reduced capacity, closed bases or moved aircraft, blatantly waving goodbye and taking traffic and passengers elsewhere. A strategy that is part of its industrial DNA and has proven extremely effective over the years.

In Rome, however, the game is more complex. The capital remains one of the world's most attractive tourist destinations, a market that no airline can really afford to abandon. And so, while Milan becomes the engine of summer growth, on Rome Ryanair brakes, raises its voice and negotiates. Without slamming the door, but leaving it ajar, waiting for the context to become - once again - more favorable to its plans.

• New Routes