ITALY: The Busiest Airport In Italy Is Malpensa

Sea Spa presented 2016 balance sheet data to the board of directors for their approval for the shareholders’ meeting on May 3. According to Sole 24 Ore, the company that manages the Milan airports of Linate and Malpensa, there is a consolidated net profit of the group at a record high of 93.6 million euro, up 11.7% on 2015.

EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) grew by 5.1% to 234.4 million, another new record high, while the net profit of the parent company Sea Spa amounted to 87.9 million, up 11.8%. These are particularly positive results as the majority shareholder, so that the City of Milan could receive a coupon over 40 million euros, up from the previous year of 34.

Passenger traffic showed growth rates of 3.1% compared to 2015. In the last two months of 2016, the increase was 11.9% compared to the same period last year, with Malpensa increased only by 15.3%.

A trend confirmed by the first months of 2017 was with Malpensa which has the highest growth rate in January and February with 929 mila passengers (+11.6%, equivalent to 2.8 million), double the national average of 5.1 stops %.

In 2016, Sea Spa has also invested 85.9 million euro for the restyling of the airport, and is now preparing a similar treatment for Linate, an operation expected to take place over many years, which will be divided into several stages and for which it has already been allocated a first allotment of 156 million euro.

Just weeks ahead of Ukraine International Airlines’ inaugural flight to Chernivtsi, Milan Bergamo Airport announces its new airline partner’s second service to the Ukraine, linking the Italian airport to its main hub at Kiev Boryspil.

Initially launching a twice-weekly service from 16 May, utilising its fleet of two-class configured 737-800s, the Ukrainian flag carrier will add a third flight from 4 June, before increasing to a daily service from 15 July.

Further diversifying Milan Bergamo’s range of carriers, Ukraine International Airlines’ new link will boost the airport’s onward connections via Kiev Boryspil.

While providing Bergamo’s catchment area with access to the airline’s domestic route network in the Ukraine to points including Kharkiv, Lviv and Odessa, as well as region flights to Yerevan, Tbilisi and Tel Aviv, the new flight will make significant long-haul connectivity to Bangkok, Beijing and Colombo available to Italian travelers.

Variety and connectivity are crucial to our growing airline portfolio and route network, and Ukraine International Airlines’ new services will open up a world of opportunity for our passengers.

We will continue to work extensively with the airline to ensure good connectivity to all destinations in the future, explains Giacomo Cattaneo, Director of Aviation, SACBO.

There is a notable Ukrainian community within the region, as well as strong industry and trade, and these important connections will inject new demand for travel and help boost Milan Bergamo’s network,added Cattaneo.

Over the years, Italy has been increasingly popular with our passengers from the Ukraine and beyond, noted Evgeniya Satskia, Corporate Press Secretary, Ukraine International Airlines.

We have been continuously working on enhancing flights to Italian cities and, due to our successful partnership with Milan Bergamo, we can now offer daily services to give our customers the chance to enjoy a vast selection of attractions in Bergamo and beyond, added Satskia.

Now boasting 16 carriers, and with 12 new routes still to commence in 2017, Milan Bergamo continues to experience solid growth. Recording over 8% passenger traffic growth in the first two months of the year, the new links to the Ukraine will further enhance the airport’s developments.

Milan Bergamo Airport is on course to continue the robust growth it witnessed last year, adding 14 new routes, resuming 11 seasonal links and welcoming two new airlines for the S17 timetable. Having recorded 7.2% passenger traffic increase in 2016, the expanding summer schedule further consolidates the gateway’s position as Italy’s third busiest airport in terms of annual passengers.

Kick-starting S17 by launching six new connections in the first week, the Italian airport welcomes a new link to Liverpool with Blue Air’s four times weekly service, as well as five of Ryanair’s seven new summer connections: Bordeaux, Edinburgh, Luxembourg, Naples, Oradea, Vigo and Vitoria, in addition to the carrier’s seasonal routes to Corfu, Ibiza, Kefalonia, Palma de Mallorca and Thessaloniki.

Continuing to diversify its growing airline portfolio Arkia Israeli Airlines and Ukraine International Airlines arrive at Milan Bergamo this summer. With both airlines adding unserved markets to Bergamo’s route network – Tel Aviv and Chernivsti respectively – the addition of these new carriers also further expands the airport’s growing roll call of serving airlines to 14 for S17.

Milan Bergamo’s new airlines and routes S17

Airline Destination Start Frequency

Ryanair Vigo 26 March Twice-weekly
Ryanair Edinburgh 27 March Five times weekly
Ryanair Luxembourg 27 March Four times weekly
Ryanair Oradea 29 March Twice-weekly
Ryanair Vitoria 29 March Twice-weekly
Blue Air Liverpool 31 March Four times weekly
Meridiana Olbia 28 April Up to daily (resumption)
Ukraine International Airlines (new) Chernivtsi 28 April Twice-weekly
Blue Air Constanta 30 April Twice-weekly (resumption)
Ryanair Naples 1 May Four times daily
Ryanair Bordeaux 1 May Four times weekly
Volotea Lampedusa 27 May Twice-weekly (resumption)
Volotea Pantelleria 27 May Twice-weekly (resumption)
Arkia Airlines (new) Tel Aviv 28 May Twice-weekly
Blu Express Lampedusa 28 May Three times weekly (resumption)
Meridiana Iraklion 3 June Weekly
Blu Express Rhodes 10 June Three times weekly (resumption)
Blue Air Iasi 15 June Three times weekly
Blu Express Santorini 22 June Twice-weekly (resumption)
Blu Express Zakynthos 22 June Twice-weekly (resumption)
Blu Express Pantelleria 23 June Twice-weekly (resumption)
Blu Express Skiathos 23 June Twice-weekly (resumption)
Blu Express Mykonos 25 June Twice-weekly (resumption)
Blu Express Preveza 13 July Twice-weekly
Wizz Air Varna 22 July Twice-weekly

Milan Bergamo’s passengers will benefit this summer from an increased long-haul connectivity available via Munich, following the establishment of a partnership between bmi regional and Condor. Resulting in a greater choice of connections across Condor’s long-haul route network at Munich, the Italian airport’s passengers will now be able to reach destinations such as Barbados, Cancun, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Las Vegas and Vancouver.

As well as enhanced connectivity via its airline partners, Milan Bergamo has announced the approval of a new train link from Milan Central Station directly to the airport terminal. With development plans now in place, Milan Bergamo will be able to offer a vital train connection to downtown Milan, further increasing the airport’s catchment area.

Commenting on Milan Bergamo’s summer developments, Emilio Bellingardi, General Director, SACBO, says: The busy start to our summer is just the beginning of another year of development and growth at Milan Bergamo.

He added: We’ve also experienced a significant increase in the use of our premium airport services, such as our VIP Lounge and Fast Track facilities, and our top priority is to ensure we offer our passengers a variety of airlines and an ever-expanding selection of destinations.

MOLDOVA: Air Moldova Now Serves Odessa

Odessa Airport welcomed Air Moldova’s new daily service from Chisinau on 26 October. The short 143-kilometre city pair will be served by the carrier’s E190s.

Air Moldova commenced services between Chisinau (KIV) and Odessa (ODS) on 26 October. The short 143-kilometre sector will be operated daily using the carrier’s E190s. The route will not face any direct competition. The latest route launch from Air Moldova now means that they serve 19 scheduled destinations from Odessa using a mix of four Airbus A320-series aircraft and two Embraer E190 aircraft. Five of the routes (including Odessa) are served at least daily, with Moscow Domodedovo the most popular route, served thrice-daily.

BELARUS: Belavia Links Minsk With Odessa

Belavia commences services between Minsk and Odessa on 25 October. The 848-kilometre sector will be operated daily using the carrier’s 737-300s. The route faces no competition.

Belavia commenced operations between Minsk (MSQ) and Odessa (ODS) on 25 October. The 848-kilometre sector will be operated daily by the carrier’s 737-300s and face no incumbent carriers on the link between the Belarusian and Ukrainian cities.

This brings to 37 the number of destinations served non-stop by Belavia from Minsk, of which nine (including Odessa) are served at least daily. By far the airline’s busiest route is to Moscow Domodedovo, which it operates seven times daily.

UKRAINE: Odessa Leads Ukrainian Traffic Recovery

The shape of things to come. Odessa International Airport’s new terminal is scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2016 in time for the peak summer season. It will be able to handle 1,000 passengers per hour and an estimated 2.5 million per annum, with 26 check-in desks and four airbridges.

Located in the south-west corner of Ukraine, close to the border with Moldova, and nearer to Chisinau (150 kilometres) and Bucharest (410 kilometres) than it is to the capital Kiev (440 kilometres), Odessa is Ukraine’s third biggest city with a population of over one million people. Located on the Black Sea it is a centre for culture, industry science and tourism.

Odessa International Airport, which handled over one million passengers in 2013, is currently constructing a new terminal which should be ready for use by the middle of next year. In the space of a decade, between 2003 and 2013, passenger numbers at the airport increased fourfold.

However, developments in the political situation in Ukraine last year resulted in the airport seeing a near 20% drop in passenger numbers to 860,000.

However, in 2015 demand has recovered well, with passenger numbers at a level between those seen in 2012 and the airport’s record year of 2013. According to the airport, it expects to handle around 935,000 passengers in 2015. Whereas across all Ukrainian airports passenger numbers in July 2015 were up a modest 3.8% compared with July 2014, Odessa’s demand was up 32.5%, the most of any Ukrainian airport. A similar analysis for the first seven months of 2015 shows that while total Ukrainian airport traffic is down 3.8% to 5.78 million, Odessa’s traffic is up 6.6% to 534,000.


On 1 July, Georgian Airways launched twice-weekly flights from Tbilisi to Odessa using a mix of its CRJ 200s and 737-500s. There was some traditional dancing on the apron to help mark the occasion.

Based on 2013 data the airport’s SVID score comes out at 10.48 (“poor”) with the peak demand month of August generating more than twice as many passengers as the airport handles in the early part of the year (January to March).
Moscow, Kiev and Istanbul are busiest routes

The airport’s leading routes at this time of year are Moscow, Kiev and Istanbul Atatürk. All of these can be used as hubs to connect on to many other destinations with Aeroflot, Ukraine International Airlines and Turkish Airlines respectively. Other major hubs served include Dubai (twice-weekly by flydubai), Vienna (four times weekly by Austrian Airlines) and Warsaw (six times weekly by LOT Polish Airlines). According to the airport’s flight schedules page on its website, Antalya would appear to be the most popular leisure destination with services provided by Ukraine International Airlines, UTair Ukraine and Wind Rose.



Austrian Airlines returned to Odessa after a five-year absence at the start of the summer 2015 season, operating four weekly flights from Vienna with its Fokker jets. Austrian, Ellinair (from Thessaloniki) and LOT Polish Airlines (from Warsaw) are the only carriers currently serving Odessa from airports in the EU.

Odessa governor wants liberalisation of air services
The recent appointment of former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili as governor of Odessa has seen him make aviation development a priority. He has been a major reason for resuming the once frozen terminal construction project, and also Saakashvili has been outspoken on the importance of establishing an Open Skies agreement for Odessa to help generate an increase in inbound tourism and bringing low-cost carriers to the market. At present, tourism only accounts for one to one and a half percent of the region’s economy, which he believes could be greatly increased with a more liberal approach to air service development.