The low-cost airline Ryanair increases its presence at Turin for the 2026 summer season. The addition of a third aircraft based on the Turin tarmac, bringing the total investment to $300 million, will enable the company to offer a record 32 routes. The Irish low-cost carrier is aiming for 3.3 million annual passengers, a significant increase of 21% on the previous year.
This development strategy is accompanied by the opening of two new destinations: Sofia in Bulgaria and Tirana in Albania. These fast-growing markets attract both leisure and business travellers. At the same time, Ryanair is increasing the frequency of flights on more than ten already popular routes, notably to Lamezia Terme, Madrid, Malaga, Malta, Marrakech, Reggio Calabria, Seville and Trapani-Marsala, to meet growing demand on these routes.
Turin, a strategic hub for Ryanair in Italy
Turin airport, which in 2025 passed the symbolic milestone of 5 million annual passengers, its best ever result, sees Ryanair as a key player in its growth. The allocation of a third aircraft from winter 2025-2026 had already marked a significant strengthening of the airline's presence in northern Italy. Paolo Papale, Director of Airline Development at Torino Airport, underlines the importance of this partnership: « Ryanair is a key player in the growth of our airport... It is certainly also thanks to Ryanair, which, since November 2025, has based a third aircraft and opened new destinations, while increasing frequencies on a very wide range of routes." .
The arrival of the new routes to Tirana and Sofia is particularly welcomed by airport management, who see it as strengthening their presence in Eastern European markets and attracting new tourist flows to the Piedmont region.
New Connections to Eastern Europe
The routes to Sofia and Tirana are in line with Ryanair's strategy of developing both leisure and ethnic routes from regional European markets. These new routes complete an already dense network linking Turin to Southern Europe, Spain, the UK and North Africa. They also give Piedmont direct access to two of Europe's booming tourist capitals. Sofia, already well connected to the major hubs of Central Europe, sees its point-to-point offer strengthened, while Tirana benefits from the dynamism of the Albanian market, which is growing strongly in the low-cost airline segment. For Ryanair, it also means consolidating its position in the face of competition already present on this route, notably Wizz Air.
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