Catania (gro) Ryanair is incorporating Sicily into its network with more and more courses. For example, five new connections will be created for Catania Airport in the east of the largest Mediterranean island next year: with Berlin, Milano Malpensa, Trieste, Malta and Perugia. Ryanair’s international and domestic connections with Palermo have solidified, and with regard to Trapani, with its airport Birgi prospects have improved after the majority of mayors in Trpani province this week voted in favor of a grant to support the Irish low-cost carrier.
The Southeast feels neglected.
However, the southeast of Sicily with its young airport “Pio La Torre” near Comiso feels neglected. Giuseppe Digiacomo, a member of the Partito Democratico (PD) in the Sicilian regional parliament, criticized the latest status report on the development of passenger numbers. Comiso airport is not even mentioned in the business reports, complained the MP, who is said to have a “good connection” with his party leader Matteo Renzi, who has ruled Italy as prime minister since February 2014 . Comiso is being treated like “Cinderella,” the “Giornale di Sicilia” said this week.
Still teething problems.
Comiso Airport, first opened shortly before World War II in the province of Ragusa, initially served purely military purposes under the name “Malocchio”. To this day, the airport company is struggling with teething problems after its recent relaunch nine years ago.
Site for medium-range missiles.
“Malocchio” had been decommissioned after the war and gained new notoriety in the 1970s as a NATO site for medium-range missiles and cruise missiles aimed at North Africa, primarily Muammar al-Gaddafi’s Libya. A subsequent revival attempt by Alitalia failed. It was not until 2007 that the airport was reopened under the new name “Pio La Torre” (of the Sicilian communist leader murdered by the Cosa Nostra) and equipped with modern technology. Ryanair is by far the most important airline for Comiso, with connections to Dublin, Hahn near Frankfurt, Milan-Malpensa, Pisa, Rome, London and Charleroi. “Pio La Torre” is also served by Alitalia, Brussels Airlines, Transvia (Netherlands) and Transvia (France).
Tourists and holidaymakers can rejoice.
Meanwhile, the overall improvement in Sicily’s connectivity with European airlines should please not only tourists and the longer-staying users of vacation villas and apartments. Local politicians also feel satisfaction. After all, an increase in the number of passengers also brings with it an increase in jobs. And Sicily still needs that. Among young people in particular, the number of job seekers is still well above the average in the European Union.