Italy's Ernest to relaunch as a regional ATR operator in late 2020

Ernest, a currently grounded airline based at Milan Malpensa, now plans to relaunch operations in mid December 2020. The carrier plans to shift its business model and become an Italian regional air carrier operating with a 16 new ATR72-600s.

Chady El Tannir, president and CEO says the new plan will continue to receive the support of the Italian government, and will incorporate previous employees as well as new staff. The plan will be financed by an investment fund with the approval of the Italian government which considers the project strategic to the economy.

As part of the relaunch, Ernest will launch new operational bases at Rome Fiumicino, Bergamo, Parma, Ancona, and Bari, with a fleet of 16 ATR72-600 aircraft that will be purchased over a four-year period.

The network will include domestic and international regional destinations and will operate from regional airports that are currently underused, helping develop business and domestic tourism.