As part of the slot concessions at Milan Linate Airport created by the proposed merger between ITA Airways and Lufthansa, easyJet is expected to receive 30 daily slots (15 arrivals and 15 departures), while British Airways and Air France will gain a combined total of 14 slots (10 for BA and 4 for Air France).
Both airlines are offering to relinquish valuable slots at Linate in their quest for approval for the merger which has not yet been approved by the European Commission.
Milan Linate is a key airport for Italy’s business centre, located very close to downtown Milan, similar to how London City Airport serves London.
EasyJet plans to utilize these remedy slots to compete with Lufthansa and ITA Airways by connecting to various hubs across Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Austria, with the list of remedy slots to be submitted to the EC by November 4.
Aer Lingus flies to both Linate and Malpensa airports. While Ryanair has an extensive route network from Malpensa it has no presence in Linate.
Ita, the successor to Alitalia, carried 15m passengers a year and the Lufthansa group 122m.
