Low-cost carrier Ryanair, which just last week announced a new base on the Italian island of Sicily, has confirmed it will reduce its presence in Rome this winter.
The airline said its Rome-based fleet will be cut from 17 to 16 aircraft for the Winter 2025–2026 schedule, citing high local taxes and airport fees as the main reasons. As a result, Ryanair expects zero traffic growth in the Italian capital over the next six months.
“Rome’s high access costs, including the harmful Municipal Tax and excessive airport fee hikes, together with the artificial daily flight cap at Ciampino, have forced Ryanair to reduce one Rome-based aircraft for Winter ’25, which means zero traffic growth in Rome this winter,” said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary.
The carrier criticized the Italian government for maintaining what it calls “anti-growth” policies. It argued that while other EU countries such as Sweden, Hungary, and Albania — as well as several Italian regions including Abruzzo, Calabria, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Trapani — have scrapped aviation taxes to stimulate growth, Rome remains uncompetitive.
Ryanair is urging the government to:
Abolish the Ciampino flight cap of 65 daily operations (equivalent to just four flights per hour).
Eliminate the Municipal Tax at all Italian airports.
Push Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) to reduce airport charges at Ciampino and Fiumicino.
The airline pledged that if these measures are adopted, it will respond with a $4 billion investment in Italy, including:
40 new aircraft,
250 new routes,
more than 20 million additional passengers per year,
and 1,500 new jobs across Italy’s regions.
“While Ryanair continues to grow elsewhere in Italy offering Europe’s lowest fares, these harmful tax and fee policies make Rome uncompetitive compared to competitor EU markets,” O’Leary said, adding that reforms could unlock major tourism, jobs, and economic benefits for the Italian capital.
