Expectations were high when Aeroitalia stepped in to operate the Foggia–Milan Malpensa route after regional carrier Lumiwings pulled out in September. Instead, passengers hoping to use the link for the 1 November All-Saints long weekend faced a frustrating start: the 08:20 flight finally took off at 12:48, more than four hours late.
Airport operator Aeroporti di Puglia blamed a “technical check” on the scheduled 88-seat Embraer jet. A back-up aircraft was ferried in from Rome, but by then several travellers—mostly families visiting relatives in northern Italy or professionals with Monday meetings—had re-booked or given up. Only 63 of the original 65 ticket-holders boarded, and social-media posts showed long queues and sparse information desks at Foggia’s Gino Lisa airport.
![Four-hour delay mars inaugural Aeroitalia Foggia-Milan service, stranding holiday weekend travellers]()
The incident highlights the fragility of Italy’s secondary airports and the operational stretch of start-up airlines filling regional connectivity gaps. Under EU261 rules passengers delayed over three hours are entitled to compensation of €250 plus meals and hotel if necessary; Aeroitalia has opened an online claim form but warned of processing times up to 30 days.
For corporate-travel departments the lesson is to keep contingency rail tickets on hold when booking on thinly-served regional routes, especially over holiday peaks. The Puglian airport still hopes to build demand: a second daily frequency is scheduled for December, subject to aircraft availability.
Airport operator Aeroporti di Puglia blamed a “technical check” on the scheduled 88-seat Embraer jet. A back-up aircraft was ferried in from Rome, but by then several travellers—mostly families visiting relatives in northern Italy or professionals with Monday meetings—had re-booked or given up. Only 63 of the original 65 ticket-holders boarded, and social-media posts showed long queues and sparse information desks at Foggia’s Gino Lisa airport.
The incident highlights the fragility of Italy’s secondary airports and the operational stretch of start-up airlines filling regional connectivity gaps. Under EU261 rules passengers delayed over three hours are entitled to compensation of €250 plus meals and hotel if necessary; Aeroitalia has opened an online claim form but warned of processing times up to 30 days.
For corporate-travel departments the lesson is to keep contingency rail tickets on hold when booking on thinly-served regional routes, especially over holiday peaks. The Puglian airport still hopes to build demand: a second daily frequency is scheduled for December, subject to aircraft availability.
