Alitalia is set to axe its Milan Malpensa route to Malta as a recovery plan for the beleaguered airline contemplates cutting 150 flights every day from the Milanese hub.
Malta will be among discarded routes to Caracas, New York, Boston, Miami, central Africa and the Middle East, as well as dozens of other European destinations.
Air Malta has been reported to be attempting to gain a greater foothold at Malpensa airport. Other interested airlines include Alpi eagles, AirOne and Etihad – all having signalled their interest in taking up the routes Alitalia may be expected to cut. According to Roberto Formigoni, the president of the Lombardy region, any company chosen to take over the routes will have to “do everything Alitalia had promised in these last years, but which failed to keep.”