Alitalia presents its three-year development plan for the Milan airports

In three years, Alitalia will double passenger traffic in Malpensa.

The Alitalia Group today presented its three-year development plan for service at the Milan airports that calls for the consolidation of Alitalia's premium service from Linate, a new intercontinental route from the Malpensa airport and the launch of a new business model for Air One flights, with important objectives of passenger growth and destinations within 2012.

From Malpensa, the Alitalia Group will offer a thoroughly renewed product, tailored both to the business and leisure passenger, according to a dual brand and customer hub model, with the possibility for the customer to create, within the same airport, the ideal combination of flights, fares and connections.

Alitalia Group's new offering for the Milan basin will be operational starting 28 March, the first day of the summer season 2010 and the day of the inauguration of the new Smart Carrier Air One flights from the Malpensa hub to 14 destinations in Italy and the Mediterranean basin.

At the Malpensa airport, the Alitalia Group is the leader in intercontinental service, offering 9 direct flights, 5 of which operated directly and 4 operated in codesharing with its SkyTeam partners and Etihad.

With the summer season 2010, the new direct Alitalia Malpensa-Miami flight will be inaugurated, the only one that provides direct service between the two destinations.

For its intercontinental flights, Alitalia will station its two new Airbus A330 in Malpensa. Delivery of the planes is planned for June 2010. These two new aircraft will be the top of the line, also thanks to a completely remodeled Magnifica class cabin, with the latest generation fold-flat seats.

The offer is completed by 4 international destinations, 2 of which new - Palma and Ibiza - and 10 domestic destinations, 5 of which new - Brindisi, Lamezia Terme, Trapani, Olbia and Alghero. Lastly, service between Malpensa and Fiumicino will be increased.

Malpensa will also be the hub of the new Air One offering, which will be the start of its strategic repositioning according to an innovative Smart Carrier model, thanks to flight offerings at particularly advantageous fares - starting at €25 for domestic destinations and €70 for international destinations. Passengers will not have to forgo the advantages offered by traditional companies (differently from low-cost companies, Air One will in fact provide, without additional cost, seating assignment, baggage transport, MilleMiglia miles and airport check-in). Air One's new business model from Malpensa will maintain the possibility of buying tickets both directly, through Internet or dedicated call centres, and indirectly, through travel agencies.

In 2011, Air One plans to start service to 10 new international destinations that include the following: Munich, Warsaw, Budapest, Istanbul and Sofia.

In three years, the Alitalia Group forecasts that it will double passenger traffic in Malpensa-from 1.5 million (2009) to 3 million (2012)-with 20% growth already achieved in 2010. The destinations served will also increase, from 20 to 32, and the number of flights will increase from 16,770 in 2009 to nearly 25,000 in 2012.

Alitalia confirms the role of Linate as the City Airport of Milano offering short and medium haul flights to domestic and European destinations for a clientele with a high percentage of business passengers.

From Linate, Alitalia provides service to 24 destinations, 10 of which international. The three-year development plan foresees an increase in passengers carried, from 5.4 million in 2009 to 6 million in 2012.

Overall, the three-year plan confirms the intention of the Alitalia Group to maintain its dominant position in the Milan market with new offerings, articulated on the basis of different demand profiles and strongly oriented towards growth.

The destinations served by Alitalia from Milan will increase from 39 in 2009 to 47 in 2012 and the number of passengers carried from 6.9 million to 9 million.