IN BRIEF
- From May 2027, easyJet will connect Pantelleria to Milan Malpensa, Naples, and Basel with direct flights.
- The new connections may attract visitors interested in Zibibbo culture and the island’s viticulture.
- Bush-trained vine cultivation is a UNESCO cultural heritage, making wine a key to exploring the territory.
- To develop enotourism, effective links are needed between the airport, accommodation facilities, and wineries.
- Summer coincides with the harvest, offering an opportunity to promote Pantelleria’s winemaking identity.
Starting summer 2027, Pantelleria will join the easyJet network with direct flights from Milan Malpensa, Naples, and Basel. For the island, this is a transport first. For its winegrowing sector, it can also become an opportunity to bring new visitors closer to the culture of Zibibbo and bush-trained vines.
The route from Milan Malpensa will launch on May 26, 2027, with two flights a week: Wednesday and Sunday at the start of the season, Monday and Friday during peak summer. The route from Naples will take off on June 18, also with two weekly frequencies, on Mondays and Fridays. Added to these is the route from Basel, operating from May 29. Tickets are already on sale.
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AN OPEN DOOR ONTO PANTESCO WINEGROWING
The arrival of easyJet can broaden the island’s potential audience. Milan and Naples bring two large Italian catchment areas closer. Basel opens a direct route to Switzerland. For wine producers, this means being able to more easily reach travelers interested in vineyard visits, tastings, and stays built around local products and landscape.
In Pantelleria, wine is a key to reading the territory. The traditional cultivation of bush-trained vines was inscribed by UNESCO on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The harvest, carried out by hand and starting in late July, is part of a farming practice handed down through generations.
The symbolic grape variety is Zibibbo, from which several styles are born, from Passito to white and sparkling wines. The new routes can help turn this identity into direct experiences, bringing visitors among the vineyards, dry-stone walls, and wineries. The Consorzio Vini di Pantelleria already promotes an enotourism map of the island, with tastings and proposals tied to local cuisine.
CONNECTION ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH
More flights do not automatically guarantee more value for wine producers. For the new accessibility to translate into benefits for wine, effective links will be needed between the airport, accommodation facilities, and wineries, along with bookable visits and coordinated offerings. The challenge is to ensure the trip doesn’t stop at the sea and the dammusi, but also includes the agricultural culture that has shaped the island.
The launch of the routes between late May and June 2027 and their summer operation coincide with the tourist season and the harvest months. It’s a favorable window to tell the story of Zibibbo at the very moment vineyard work is most visible. For Pantelleria, the new flights can thus become an opportunity to strengthen enotourism and give greater visibility to a unique winegrowing tradition. Provided the air connection is matched by an offering capable of turning curiosity into a visit, and the visit into a bond with the island’s wines.
