• 

  Ryanair

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  FR/RYR

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport

  Year Founded:

  1985

  Airline Group:

  Ryanair Group

  CEO:

  Eddie Wilson

  Country:

  Ireland

In an intriguing move, Ryanair is to return to Forlì, an airport it ceased serving in 2008, in favor of the much bigger Bologna, 47 miles (75km) away. It comes as AeroItalia – whose main airport is Forlì – took off less than a month ago, and as Ryanair adds a fourth based aircraft at Venice Marco Polo.

Ryanair's return to Bologna Forlì, as the ULCC markets it, doesn't seem to be driven by AeroItalia – at least not yet. Instead, it is seemingly because two routes are no longer served, yet intriguingly Ryanair will continue to serve them from Bologna. As Ryanair and Forlì have signed a five-year deal, a standard length, is more afoot, or will Forlì remain 'just another airport' in Ryanair's 30-strong Italian network?

What's happening?

Forlì was a classic Ryanair 'secondary' airport that it historically served instead of the busier and more expensive nearby larger airport, in this case, Bologna. Ryanair will return to Forlì in early September, unusually barely a month away but enabling it to capture some summer demand. It expects around 20,000 passengers in September and October.

The first to take off will be Katowice on September 1st. It'll have flights on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, although it'll drop to Wednesday and Saturday from November and throughout winter. Next will be Palermo, beginning on September 3rd. It'll operate year-round on Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

• Forlì to Katowice: 4x weekly, reducing to 2x weekly in summer
• Forlì to Palermo: 4x weekly

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Both routes have history

Ryanair will be the third airline from Katowice. Wizz Air served it between May 2009 and September 2012, and after a very long gap, it was taken up by Lumiwings in 2021 on a 2x weekly basis.

Ryanair will also serve Katowice from Bologna – and on precisely the same days with nearly the exact times. Odd. And although different markets, it also has 4x weekly summer flights (3x in winter) from Bologna to Kraków, 43 miles (67km) from Katowice. Which will give?

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Palermo has had even more

Palermo has also had much service, including Meridiana (until June 2004) and Wind Jet (June 2004-March 2011). Ryanair planned to serve Palermo in late 2008, but it seems it didn't launch. And in 2021 to early 2022, there were flights by Lumiwings and Ego Airways.

The obvious route wasn't taken by AeroItalia, which operates to Catania and Trapani in Sicily. In early September, Ryanair will have up to 3x daily flights from Bologna to Palermo and Wizz Air 5x weekly. I'm sure Forlì-Palermo will do well from the core catchment, especially with low fares.

Ryanair in Forlì: a summary

Ryanair began serving Forlì from London Stansted in November 2001, and it pulled out in 2008. It had expected to create a base at Forlì, but it didn't materialize. The year 2008 was Ryanair's peak at Forlì. It had 564,000 seats for sale and was the sixth busiest of 25 Italian airports served that year.

It's no coincidence that it ended at Forlì as it launched at Bologna, an airport at which it expanded rapidly. Bologna's capacity was almost static, so it lowered fares and charges to attract ULCCs and grow. Bologna is Ryanair's 10th most-served airport by seats for sale in 2022, according to Cirium data.

Will you be flying Ryanair this year? If so, let us know in the comments.