Neos Air, Italy’s third-largest airline by the size of its fleet, is interested in starting nonstop flights connecting Palermo, the capital of the Sicilian region in Italy, to New York. The news was first published by Italpress news agency.

«We are waiting for some answers from Palermo to take a decision», Neos’ CEO, Carlo Stradiotti, told the news agency in an article reporting on the airline’s prospects.

The news follows a statement in the beginning of the month by Vito Riggio, the CEO of GESAP, the company that runs Palermo Airport, confirming negotiations with an airline for such a flight. The executive then said that «we have presented a proposal to an important airline for the return of the route to New York. An answer should come in days, and we hope it is positive.»

The route was previously operated by Eurofly (and its subsequent iteration, Meridiana) between 2005 and 2018, TravelQuotidiano, an Italian travel news website, recalls. In 2019, United Airlines announced daily flights connecting its hub in Newark to Palermo, but the flight was never operated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on aviation.

Neos is a leisure-focused airline, belonging to AlpiTour, a major tour operator in Italy. In the last number of years, the airline has been attempting to diversify its network, particularly with low-frequency routes in long-haul segments.

The airline ended 2022 with revenues of EUR573 million, according to Italpress. According to Stradiotti, for the current financial year, ended in October 31, 2023, Neos is aiming at EUR750 million.

Neos currently operates a fleet of five Boeing 737-800, four 737 MAX 8 and six Boeing 787-9, according to Planespotters.net. For the next year, the airline expects to phase out one 737-800 and add four 737 MAX 8, Italpress reported.