Ryanair reopens Pescara, Italy base

Ryanair this summer will operate 15 routes to/from Pescara this summer, making it its largest-ever operation from the Italian Adriatic coast city. The Irish budget carrier, in a statement, announced it would station one aircraft at Pescara in summer 2022 to operate 100 weekly flights, 20 more than before the pandemic. This would include two new routes to Manchester Int'l in northern England, and Memmingen in Germany. Pointing out that it supported the post-pandemic recovery in Italy, the airline again requested the Italian government to eliminate Italy's "tourism tax" (municipal surcharge) on all air travel from 2022 to 2025. "The tax is affecting the competitiveness of Italian airports compared to other European ones," commented Ryanair's Country Manager Italy, Mauro Bolla. Abruzzo Region President Marco Marsilio said Pescara's Abruzzo Airport was heavily impacted by the pandemic. It had recorded a 72.9% decrease in passengers at the end of September 2020. Still, the region continued to invest in the airport, including a runway extension which opened the opportunity for intercontinental flights.<br/>