Ryanair will remove one of its Rome-based planes from Fiumicino Airport for summer 2025 and will not record any traffic growth at the city’s other airport, Ciampino.
This means no growth for Rome despite the celebrations for the Papal Jubilee year, due to what Ryanair has called the restrictive limit imposed on flights to Ciampino (65 flights per day), the increase in airport costs (+44% at Ciampino and +15% at Fiumicino by 2028) and the Italian Government’s regressive decision to further increase the municipal surcharge at the main Italian airports starting from April 1.
“The stifling of connectivity and tourism in Rome is in stark contrast to other major European capitals such as Brussels, London and Paris, where airports operate without restrictive limits on flights,” the airline said.
Ryanair is calling on the Italian government to immediately widen the limit on flights at Ciampino (from 65 to 130 flights) and to reverse its “short-sighted and regressive” decision to increase the municipal surcharge.
Instead, Ryanair said, the government should abolish this passenger tax to maintain competitiveness and promote traffic growth, as the Italian regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Calabria and Abruzzo have successfully done, along with other EU countries such as Sweden and Poland, immediately unlocking transformative growth with Ryanair.
Ryanair is also calling on the operator of Rome airports, Aeroporti di Roma (AdR), to abandon the excessive fare increases due to the recovery of revenues lost during Covid-19, approved by the Italian Transport Regulation Authority (ART) despite the fact that AdR received considerable financial support from the Italian state during Covid. AdR must freeze airport fees until 2028 to ensure Rome’s competitiveness and encourage passenger growth again.
Ryanair airline CEO Eddie Wilson said: “The Italian government continues to limit Rome’s tourism potential in view of the 2025 Jubilee by not removing the restrictive limit on flights to Ciampino, which could easily accommodate twice as many current daily flights . In addition, the Government has decided to increase the municipal surcharge at major Italian airports as of April 1, 2025, which will make Rome and Italy as a whole completely uncompetitive compared to other European capitals such as Brussels, London and Paris – with no restrictive limits on flights – and countries such as Sweden and Poland, which are abolishing aviation taxes and reducing access costs to promote traffic growth.
“Italy cannot afford to lose connectivity, traffic and jobs to other EU countries that are abolishing taxes to support growth, particularly in Rome, where enhanced air connectivity is needed to support inbound tourism during the Jubilee year.
“Ryanair is once again calling on the Government to urgently remove the excessive limit on flights at Ciampino, bringing it from 65 to 130 daily flights, as well as reversing its short-sighted and regressive decision to increase passenger taxes at major Italian airports in 2025. Instead, the government should completely abolish this municipal surcharge in all Italian airports, just as the regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Calabria and Abruzzo and EU countries such as Sweden and Poland have already done. In addition, Ryanair is also calling on Aeroporti di Roma to reverse excessive fare increases and freeze airport taxes at Ciampino and Fiumicino until 2028 to protect Rome’s tourism and local economy during the Jubilee year and beyond.
“This would allow Italian airports to benefit from rapid growth in traffic, tourism and jobs in the coming years, as Ryanair would respond with a $4 billion investment in Italy, adding 40 new aircraft, over 20 million passengers per year on 250 new routes and 1,500 new Ryanair jobs in the Italian regions.”
