Lima could soon become a new destination to watch for Italian travelers, especially those in Northern Italy. The capital of Peru could indeed be connected to Milan by a direct flight, opening up new opportunities to reach South America without layovers and, at the same time, signaling the possible return of ITA Airways to Milan Malpensa after almost three years of absence.
The Italian airline would, in fact, be working on opening a new direct link between Milan Malpensa and Lima. The project, which has begun to take concrete shape, would represent an important novelty both for the Varesian airport and for Italian travelers interested in reaching Peru.
ITA Airways looks to return to Malpensa
The possible return of ITA Airways to Milan Malpensa would thus involve a new intercontinental route to Lima. According to Corriere della Sera, the airline is studying an arrangement of flights that would also involve its main hub, Rome Fiumicino.
The plan would foresee the use of an Airbus A350, which would depart from the capital to reach Lima, then return to Malpensa and depart again for Peru, before concluding the rotation back to Fiumicino.
A kind of W-shaped route, designed to serve both major Italian airports and to intercept demand from two important geographic catchment areas. The service would still be more substantial on the Rome-Lima leg, considered stronger in terms of traffic, but ITA Airways would also aim to capitalize on requests coming from Milanese and Lombardy’s business sector.
To confirm the airline’s interest was the CEO and General Manager Joerg Eberhart, who emphasized the importance of meeting the needs of the territories and of contributing, through the development of the international network, to the competitiveness of the Country’s System.
Lombardy’s support
The possible return of ITA Airways to Malpensa has already gathered the s support of Lombardy institutions. In recent days, the mayor of Milan Beppe Sala, the president of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana, the business representative associations and the leaders of Sea, the company that manages Malpensa and Linate airports, sent a letter to the Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini to request the authorization of the Milan-Lima link.
Fontana welcomed the rumors positively, highlighting how strengthening international connections can offer new opportunities to businesses, attract investments and generate positive effects on the economy and employment. The Region explained that it has already taken steps to sustain territorial requests, underscoring the value of collaboration between institutions and the business world.
For ITA Airways, this would be a significant return. The last route operated by the airline from Malpensa dates back to January 2024, when the final flight to New York JFK was carried out. With the industrial plan, the carrier had chosen to concentrate its operations on Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, maintaining this strategy even after Lufthansa joined the shareholder base in January 2025, with a 41% stake.
