Reggio Calabria Airport, Ryanair doubles: Milan and Dublin

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Reggio Calabria Airport has finally reversed course, with extraordinary numbers already in the first months of 2024 even before the arrival of Ryanair. Now the numbers are extraordinary, increasing dramatically. All thanks to the investment of Ryanair strongly supported by the regional governor Roberto Occhiutowho today held a press conference with the CEO Of Ryanair Eddie Wilson and the sole director of Sacal Marco Franchini right in the premises of theStraits Airport.

Eyed it was said “very happy to see Reggio Airport finally so alive and lively after so many years. Two years ago when I took office this airport was dead, there weren’t even flights to Rome and Milan, it seemed there were no prospects. And instead with Franchini, one of the best managers, we did a very intense job. Today I am happy to see both Ryanair and Sacal here, the protagonists of this relaunch. I’m trying to use all my energy and resources to convince Ryanair and the other carriers to invest again in Calabria. I get a lot of help from the resources of Calabria: yesterday I took Eddie to dinner in Scilla, he fell in love with Scilla, today he even bathed in our sea. We took him around Reggio Calabria, I’m very happy that he is appreciating the hospitality and beauty of our flights. With him we are also thinking about the other seasons, about next winter, and we are thinking of adding a route to Milan or to Bergamo from Reggio Calabria to the routes currently operated by Ryanair. We also evaluate other investment possibilities by this company, which could be realized through the establishment of a base for aircraft maintenance or through a base to train pilots and staff. This would be very important for me, because it would make the union between Calabria and Ryanair more structural. We are working to further increase flights, but this also depends on the Region’s ability to remove some rather stupid obstacles that prevent low-cost airlines from flying conveniently for them in many Italian airports. For example, this concerns the obstacle posed by municipal surcharges: we are working on the project to finance municipal surtaxes as a Region. Airlines pay around 6.50 euros for each passenger that is transported. If airlines, all airlines, were given the option of not paying this tax, we would have many more flights. We are working on this also thanks to the contribution of my friend Francesco Cannizzaro, who is a member of the budget commission and will present an amendment to ensure that the Calabria Region can finance the municipal surcharges“.

“Some said that mine were the usual announcements” conclude Eyed removing a few pebbles from his shoes. “And instead we have shown that we can do concrete things, and this is only possible when there is a great team. I thank the Chamber of Commerce, I thank Cannizzaro, we are working on many things, some are not yet seen but we prefer to announce them when they become reality“.

Eddie Wilsonthe CEO of Ryanair, said: “the enthusiasm is palpable, the hotel where we are staying has confirmed that it is sold out and the press articles confirm the quality of the work. There is no Strait Bridge yet, but today there is an air bridge for all those people who live on connectivity. We agree with Occhiuto on the municipal tax. When it is removed, we will respond first, first with a daily flight to Milan, then with a second aircraft based in Reggio to allow further international connectivity, first with a direct flight to Dublin, so I can come here to swim whenever I want. In June he will return here on holiday.”

The sole director of Sacal Marco Franchini he added: “we have already done a lot with the work for flight safety and air traffic control, the redevelopment of the luminous visual aids and baggage handling systems, the new check-in desks. These are all things that are rarely seen, but they give a figure to an airport that has had the completion of the perimeter anti-intrusion system which is a very important thing. As regards the airport, on May 21st we will be back in ENAC with the company that won the tender and we will present some updates: the previous project did not respond to this new characteristic that the airport is taking on, so we will improve it with the construction of three functional blocks, departures area, arrivals area and then this central terminal. There is also an idea for parking but it is still in an embryonic stage.”

Franchini also highlighted how, based on traffic forecasts, “we will arrive at Reggio Airport with a thousand more direct, indirect and related jobs, and an increase in the GDP of the Calabria Region of 200 million euros. Occhiuto’s action is not something linked only to connections and mobility, but it is something that is concretely destined to change the characteristics of this Region in a concrete and pragmatic way. When we signed the contract with Ryanair, a personal experience came to mind. I believe I am among the few, perhaps there is one, in this room, to have known Mister Ryan, or rather the Ryan brothers. I met the Ryan brothers in 1984: they had this methodology, every week they wanted to have meetings to achieve objectives. We here have used this methodology on a daily basis. Investing in a low-cost company like Ryanair has allowed us to create a brand in a Southern region“.

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