Wizz Air expands, Ryanair fights back: war in Italy

The European low-cost carrier Wizz Air set an unprecedented precedent throughout the aviation industry. When other airlines were taking a step back, limiting their capacity and any expansion plans, the purple-colored airline announced 10 new bases. But seemingly, its tenth step was too far. Ryanair immediately responded to Wizz Air expansion plans – now, the two low-cost carriers dug out their trenches for a war of attrition in Italy.

On September 8, Wizz Air announced its tenth new base of 2020 in Catania, Italy. The second-largest city in Sicily will host two Airbus A321 aircraft from October. From here, the carrier will offer flights to over 20 destinations available, five of which will be on newly-introduced routes. Catania Airport (CTA) would become Wizz Air’s second Italian base, as its first one is located in Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP).

Wizz Air will also introduce flights from Sicily to London Luton Airport (LTN) and Memmingen Airport (FMM) in Bavaria, Germany.

But judging by the response, it seemed like the Hungary-registered airline overstepped Ryanair’s boundaries.

Ryanair was very quick to react to Wizz Air’s impromptu move into CTA. Three days later, on September 11, the Irish low-cost carrier issued two press releases. Both of them had the same keywords in their titles ‒ Ryanair “responds to high demand by increasing flights […]”.

At the forefront of the plans are domestic flights, as the Irish airline will increase the frequency of flights from Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) to Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport (BRI) from three to nine per week. Meanwhile, Catania Airport (CTA) will see Ryanair’s presence grow by 28 additional weekly flights to Bologna, Milan, Rome, and Venice airports.

Both airlines are set to fly the new frequencies starting October. With the exception of Ryanair increasing weekly frequencies from CTA to MXP, the two companies’ announcements are identical in terms of the increased capacity on Italy’s domestic flight network.