Easyjet is to expand capacity by a third at Rome's Fiumicino airport.
The budget carrier will add routes from Fiumicino to Prague, Nantes, Menorca and Rhodes, as well as increasing capacity to other destinations including five extra weekly services to and from London Gatwick.
No specific dates have been announced, but the new services will be rolled out during the spring and go on sale "in the near future".
The airline has been extending its operations in Italy with its third base in the country at Naples due to open from March 2014 and an increase in services at Catania in Sicily.
Chief executive Carolyn McCall said: "Over 13.5 million passengers flew with us to, from and within Italy last year.
“We are the second biggest airline at Fiumicino, carrying over three million passengers per year and these expansion plans ensure the maintenance of that position."
Easyjet first opened a base at Fiumicino in 2009 and currently has six aircraft housed at the airport.
Ryanair is also now adopting a change of tack by moving into main European airports in order to tap lucrative corporate travel (see news, November 28).
Graham Smith
