Spanish finances airline Vueling mentioned it could slash 5 routes to Rome Fiumicino and lay off dozens of workers as a part of plans to restructure its Italian community amid rising competitors.
The provider mentioned that it could scale back the variety of plane stationed at Rome Fiumicino from 4 to 1, slicing the next 5 continuous worldwide routes from February 2026: London Gatwick, Paris Orly, Malaga, Valencia, and Santorini.
It additionally mentioned it could lay off 82 of the 122 workers at the moment based mostly in Rome, including that it was engaged on measures meant to “mitigate the impression” of the cuts.
Vueling administration mentioned the transfer was a part of a “overview of its route community” meant to strengthen its presence in different markets and “adapt to a continuously evolving aggressive setting.”
The airline’s announcement sparked anger amongst Italian commerce unions, with Filt-Cgil slamming the choice as “unacceptable”.
Vueling “intends to put off employees as shortly as doable, with out contemplating the social security nets offered below Italian legislation,” the union mentioned, including that it could “act instantly” to guard the affected workers.
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Founded in Barcelona in 2004, Vueling first entered the Italian market within the early 2010s.
Following the success of various low-cost connections between Spain and Italy, the provider arrange its first Italian base at Rome Fiumicino in 2013, with the airport shortly turning into the airline’s second-biggest hub after Barcelona El Prat.
Since 2019, nevertheless, Vueling has been steadily scaling again its operations in Italy, axing dozens of home routes amid rising competitors from different finances carriers, together with Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air.
According to information cited by Il Corriere della Sera, the airline’s seat capability in Italy in 2024 was 27 p.c decrease than it was in 2018, earlier than the beginning of its restructuring section.
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Following Vueling’s choice to chop 5 Rome routes, Hungary’s Wizz Air mentioned that it could fill the market hole left by the Spanish airline by launching new flights to and from Fiumicino subsequent yr.
The airline mentioned new locations would come with Malaga, Barcelona, Bilbao, Ibiza, London Luton and Paris Orly.
