A new nonstop link between Milan and Lima could be on the cards, and the race to operate it is getting competitive. ITA Airways, Italy's flag carrier, is reportedly planning a return to Milan Malpensa for long-haul flying, targeting Peru's capital before Emirates can claim the route for itself. According to Italy's Corriere Della Sera, the trigger was word that Emirates wants to extend its Dubai-Milan service on to Lima as a fifth-freedom flight - a setup it already runs between Milan and New York JFK.
ITA's counter-move is clever because it doesn't require reopening a proper Malpensa base, something the carrier dropped in early 2024 when it shifted long-haul flying away from the airport. Instead, an Airbus A350 based at Rome Fiumicino would work a 'W-shaped' rotation: Rome to Lima, on to Milan Malpensa, back to Lima, then home to Rome. That single loop would connect both Italian cities with Lima two or three times a week. CEO Jörg Eberhart framed it as serving Italy's regions and boosting the national network's competitiveness.
The demand numbers back the idea up. Roughly 189,000 people a year currently connect between Milan and Lima through other hubs - enough to fill an average of 363 seats per flight at a five-times-weekly schedule. Rome adds another 62,000 annual indirect passengers, around 200 per flight at three weekly frequencies. Emirates, for its part, wants to fly the Milan leg daily.
The politics matter as much as the demand. Neos, the Italian leisure carrier, has already appealed to regulator ENAC against Emirates' plan, and ITA's own bid is a direct attempt to keep the route in Italian hands. It fits a long pattern: both ITA and its predecessor Alitalia always preferred Linate as their Milan hub. Cirium data shows Alitalia last out-flew Linate at Malpensa back in 2008, and its Malpensa operation shrank steadily from there, aside from a brief 2019 uptick that the pandemic cut short.
For travellers, this could mean a rare nonstop between northern Italy and South America - useful for anyone planning Peru trips like Machu Picchu or the Sacred Valley without a connection in Madrid, Paris or Amsterdam. It would also give Peruvian and Latin American visitors to Italy a smoother entry point into Milan's fashion and lakes region. Nothing is confirmed yet, and ENAC's decision on Emirates' application will shape how quickly - and by whom - the route launches. But if you've been eyeing a Milan-Lima itinerary, watch this space: whichever carrier wins, a direct flight is looking increasingly likely.
