ITA Airways is planning services from Rome Fiumicino and Milan Malpensa to Lima, adding a Peruvian destination to its network and challenging Emirates’ proposed Milan–Lima route. The operational concept under consideration would use an Airbus A350 on a Rome–Lima–Milan–Lima–Rome rotation, avoiding the need to base aircraft at Malpensa. The schedule and launch date remain unconfirmed, and Italy’s civil aviation authority has yet to decide on Emirates’ application.
The provisional plan envisages three weekly flights between Rome and Lima, with two or three more between Lima and Milan. Emirates has applied to operate the Malpensa–Lima sector under fifth-freedom rights, seeking three additional frequencies on top of four already authorised under bilateral agreements. ENAC will decide whether to approve the request; Italian carriers have opposed it.
ITA’s proposed rotation would restore scheduled service at Malpensa after its last route from the airport, to New York, ended in January 2024. The airline has concentrated its operations on Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, and the Lima plan would let it serve Malpensa without establishing a long-haul base there. Estimated annual connecting-passenger markets are 189,000 between Milan and Lima and 62,000 between Rome and Lima.