Ryanair in Italy – No Milan, Yes Pisa

You may recall that the European budget airline giant Ryanair had offered a proposal to Milan’s Malpensa airport back in September, saying that it would add Milan to the list of Ryanair airports served and expand services quite a bit over the next few years. Well, after thinking about Ryanair’s proposal for a couple of months, Malpensa has returned the engagement ring. (I was going to say diamond ring, but since this is a low-cost airline we’re talking about here it was more likely a cubic zirconia. But I digress.)

At the end of December, the news came out that Malpensa had rejected the Ryanair offer, citing primarily the uncertain future of the airport itself. Much of the uncertainty comes from the pending sale of the national of Italy, Alitalia, which has a large hub at Malpensa, but the airport also called the Ryanair offer “unacceptable.” Malpensa officials said that, “You should never say never, but they (Ryanair) have to soften their position.” So anyone who was getting excited about a new cheap flights option in and out of Milan will have to check that excitement a bit for now.

If you’re looking for cheap flights in and out of Pisa, however, you’re in luck. Ryanair will begin several new flights serving Pisa’s airport this spring. At the end of March, a flight between Pisa and Bari will begin, and then in April flights between Pisa and Birmingham, Pisa and Edinburgh, and Pisa and Constanta (in Romania) will begin. Ryanair flights are typically quite inexpensive, but to celebrate these new routes they’re even cheaper than usual – you can reserve them right now at the Ryanair website for just under €20.