Ryanair asks Italy to double flight limit at Rome airport ahead of Vatican's Jubilee next year.

Low-cost airline Ryanair has called on the Italian government to double the daily flight limit at Rome's Ciampino airport from 65 to 130 in time for the Jubilee Year 2025.

Michael O'Leary, CEO of the Irish carrier, launched the request in the Italian capital on Tuesday, saying it would allow Ryanair "to rapidly increase visitors to Rome" for Jubilee 2025 when the Eternal City expects to welcome 32 million tourists and pilgrims.

"It is shameful that visitor growth to a major European city like Rome is currently being hampered by Ciampino’s limit of 65 flights per day (just four flights per hour), which puts Rome’s growth for the Jubilee Year 2025 at risk", O'Leary said in a statement.

Ryanair is seeking to double the number of daily flights at Rome's secondary international airport, to eight an hour, claiming that it would "increase traffic, jobs and tourism to Rome".

• How to get to Rome from Fiumicino and Ciampino airports

Due to noise pollution the number of commericial flights at Ciampino are limited to 65 per day, reduced from 97 flights per day, following a decree from the environment ministry in 2018.

In addition, night flights are currently prohibited, between 23.00 and 06.00.

However O'Leary stressed that the Ryanair flights are operated by "new, quiet Boeing B737-8200 Gamechangers", adding that increasing the number of budget fares to Rome would be "vital to the success of the Jubilee Year".

Separately, Ryanair announced 10 new winter routes from Milan's Malpensa airport: to Athens, Budapest, Paris, Fuerteventura, Krakow, Mallorca, Marrakech, Reggio Calabria, Rzeszow and Tallinn.

Photo credit: Patryk Kosmider / Shutterstock.com.