easyJet announces NEW Italian base

[phil_2405]

easyJet, Europe's leading low-cost airline today announced it would significantly expand its services in Italy and introduce a new base at Milan's Malpensa Airport. Malpensa will be the airline's 16th base in Europe and first in Italy.

Three aircraft, brand new Airbus A319's, will be based at the airport offering a choice of five new routes to key European airports: Athens, London Gatwick, Madrid, Malaga and Paris (Charles De Gaulle). These routes are in addition to the current Berlin service and the daily flight to Dortmund which commences on 30 October.

The first two of these new aircraft will begin operation from Milan Malpensa from 27 March 2006. The third aircraft will be introduced in the summer and will provide the capacity to operate even more routes.

With a total of seven routes available from Milan Malpensa, easyJet expects to carry around 1.2 million passengers through the base in the first 12 months, and create over 100 jobs locally for cabin crew and flight deck as well as generate over 1000 indirect jobs at the airport.

easyJet currently operates to nine key Italian airports (Cagliari, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Naples, Olbia, Pisa, Rome, Turin, and Venice), with a choice of 29 routes and 68 daily flights. The airline recognises the great potential for further expansion of it low-cost services; Italy has been the fastest growing market in easyJet's network in the last 12 months, experiencing an increase in capacity of 78%. This summer the airline welcomed the six millionth passenger on its Italian routes and by the end of 2005 expects to have carried a total of 2.5 million passengers to and from Italy.

The two existing routes from Milan Linate to London Gatwick and Paris Orly will also continue, generating a total of over 1.3 million passengers travelling on easyJet's Milan services in the first 12 months of operation. easyJet has chosen Milan as the next market for significant development in Italy as a result of its great attraction to both business and leisure travellers as a destination, as well as tapping into the capital city and wealthy Lombardy region's outbound market potential.

easyJet are committed to continuing with its strategy of being a pan-European airline, not only is the airline the fourth largest scheduled carrier in Europe, but 27% of its network is outside of the UK, with six of its 16 bases being situated on the continent.

[jabird]

Slightly worried to see that Easyjet consider Milan to be the capital of Italy, or are they touting MXP as Rome North? I can't even see FR doing that.

This is interesting though considering that I've always considered MXP to be a pretty high cost airport - the terminal structure looks a bit like the San Siro, but also seems to be well embellished with marble flooring. Is the rail link still going to be extended out towards Turin, and to join up with the Alpine routes heading northwards?

I would guess space was too tight at LIN, considering previous route withdrawals, and that EZ wouldn't have wanted to go near FR's hub at BGY.

With ongoing uncertainty over the future of AZ, have Milan Airports given EZ a pretty good deal to set up a base there?

[Doug the Head]

Great news!

Wonder if they will set up their own handling agent, as Italian ground handling tends to be a bit inefficient to say the least. :ugh:

[Orangewing]

But nowhere near as inefficient as our own in house handling agents!! :(

[phil_2405]

The easyJet.com route map has been updated with Milan routes but it is also showing Milan to Hamburg and Ibiza:confused: These routes haven't been announced have they?

[phil_2405]

Hamburg and Ibiza have been removed now :confused:

[Tudor]

I would guess space was too tight at LIN

I imagine ground handling issues were the primary concern...a 20-30 minute turnaround at Linate is nigh on impossible.

[jabird]

"20-30 minute turnaround at Linate is nigh on impossible"

Please excuse my lack of total technical understanding on this one, but am I right in thinking that turnaround is measured from when the plane is stationary at the stand, as opposed to total time spent on the tarmac?

Assuming they would use the main terminal at MXP, I would guess that there could be a fair amount of taxiing to the outer runway? I don't think this would be as bad as at AMS, where high charges seem to be the issue rather than airfield layout, but as a general rule, wouldn't it be fair to say that budget airlines would prefer airports with either just one runway, or if they do have two, with an island terminal offering less chance of a long cross-field taxi journey?

[Tudor]

I was speaking from personal experience from having operated on this route for a couple of years. The LGW - LIN route was usually twinned with a LGW - PRG or LGW - NCE and due to the length of such a four sector day they were scheduled with unrealistic turnaround times lest the crew run out of hours (At least that's my theory as to the true reason for the short turnarounds).

The ground staff at LIN appear to be on a permanent go-slow and it was rumoured months ago (totally unsubstantiated of course) that easyJet wanted LIN as a base but the major sticking point was ground operations. Incidentally whilst AMS may have that ridiculously long taxi-way I always found the ground staff to be on the ball so if you could avoid that particular runway then it is possible to be in and out of AMS rather quickly. Additionally AMS passengers get on and sit down unlike the fur coat and no knickers brigade from Milan who fanny about with eight (fake) Louis Vuitton bags each!

As I say none of the above is fact, merely my opinion and rumour!

[Bokkenrijder]

Rumour has it that EZY will offer a reduced contract to MXP based pilots.

Yet another example of BALPA falling asleep behind the ´controls.´ (must be due to that "less fatigueing" 5-2-5-4 roster...) :yuk: :yuk:

[Rick Binson]

bokkenrider - why slate BALPA? Have you any hard evidence that this is the case and if it was the case have BALPA had a chance to respond.

Must be great sitting behind a computer keyboard and being the "big man" typing tosh...

Get a life.

[Bokkenrijder]

The only ´evidence´ I have is that EZY is keeping a separate waitinglist for MXP. A possible reason behind the seperate waitinglist: uncertainty regarding the T&C´s for MXP.

Why slate BALPA? Because they finally have the opportunity to take a pro-active stand on something, rather than the usual ´take it or leave it, it´s the best we could do´ type of approach they have taken with dual basings, captains in RHS, F/O profit sharing, the TRSS AHC and the ´pay negotiations.´

Nothing so far on the BALPA website.

If it´s indeed true (as I said before, it´s a rumour) that EZY is negotiating down the T&C´s for MXP (and potentially any other base), then that´s a very serious matter not to be taken lightly.

BALPA can either see this as a great opportunity to get a foot in the door within it´s European bases, or they can sell them out and then wonder why so many people resign from BALPA. :hmm:

[nimbuscumulus]

Bokkenrijder, what do you mean a seperate waiting list for MXP? Every base has it's own waiting list. What do you expect: You just put your name on a general transferlist and just wait to see where they dump you?:confused:

I am on the list at the moment and I would be very surprised if they turned around and told me that I would have to sign a new contract cutting my salery! I think no one would go. Oh yeah, and then at they same time they'll probably cut the orly, berlin and DTM saleries so it remains at least equal across the mainland?
The reason BALPA is probably not reporting is because it's a MOL generated rumour and not real!

(that's what I hope at least, otherwise I might have to pack my bags as well):uhoh:

[Tiesto]

More than just a rumour.

Uniquely, anyone who is already waiting to transfer to another base can also be on the list for MXP at the same time.

The MXP list is expected to shrink a lot once the t&c's have been dreamt up.

Little point lobbying BALPA because their collective head is buried in the sand (or worse places)!!!

[Bokkenrijder]

Hi nimbuscumulus, see Tiesto´s reply regarding the ´special´ MXP transfer lists. That was the point I´ve been trying to make. Something is brewing... :suspect:

Someone has posted something on the BALPA website, but so far no ´official´ reply from anyone in the EZY CC...

Sweet dreams BALPA! :zzz:

[nimbuscumulus]

Well Bokkenrijder, I do appologise, it looks like you're right. :{
I didn't know about the waiting list but in this weeks flight easy is advertising their local base roadshow in Milan and basically offering jobs there. Now how could you offer that while the list for milan is already more than sufficient to crew the base? And why would you have seperate roadshows for milan? It can only be because the package differs from the other packages!

I also heard from soources inside the main office that they have already put (ex) volare people in the sim and tried them out, including Captains! So another backdoor to hire direct entry captains rather than to promote the long waiting F/O who I am certain would love to have MXP as their first command!

I propose that if easyJet hires only just one more direct entry captain, all F/Os lay down their work!