ITA Airways Wants Lima Before Emirates Gets There

ITA Airways is reportedly preparing to return to Milan Malpensa for the first time in almost three years, and the reason is as much strategic as commercial. According to a report in Corriere della Sera, the Italian flag carrier wants to launch flights to Lima, Peru, partly to get ahead of Emirates, which is said to be seeking fifth-freedom rights to fly Dubai to Milan to Lima.

Emirates already uses that model on its Milan to New York service, and it reportedly wants a daily Lima flight. ITA would not need a full Malpensa base to compete. Instead it would use a W-shaped rotation with an Airbus A350 based in Rome, flying Rome to Lima, Lima to Milan, Milan back to Lima and Lima back to Rome, giving both cities two or three weekly flights.

The numbers help explain the interest. Roughly 189,000 people a year fly indirectly between Milan and Lima, which would average about 363 passengers per flight on a five-times-weekly schedule. Rome adds about 62,000 indirect passengers a year, enough for around 200 per flight on three weekly services. ITA last flew long-haul from Malpensa in January 2024, to New York, and has long favored Linate for its Milan operations.

The decision is not ITA’s to make alone. Italian leisure carrier Neos has also objected to Emirates’ plan and has appealed to the national aviation authority ENAC ahead of its ruling. ITA chief executive Joerg Eberhart said the airline wants to serve Italy’s regions through network growth. Until ENAC rules and schedules are filed, the route remains a report rather than a confirmed plan.

Sources: Simple Flying