London's Gatwick Airport (LGW) has been forced to cap flights at the airport until Sunday due to sickness-related staff shortages.
Ryanair CEO Blasts Italy's Price Cap on Flights to Sicily and Sardinia
12.09.2023 - 18:07 / skift.com / Michael Oleary
Italy’s price cap on flights to Sicily and Sardinia is “illegal and unenforceable”, Ryanair group CEO Michael O’Leary told Reuters on Tuesday, adding the budget airline had lodged a complaint with the European Commission.
Speaking in Rome, O’Leary said Ryanair could respond by reducing domestic flights to Sicily by as much as 15-20% this winter, shifting its focus instead to international routes to the southern Italian holiday island.
Last month, the government banned airlines from raising fares to Sicily and Sardinia beyond a level “200% higher” than the average price for flights to the two islands, a move aimed at stemming price increases over the peak holiday periods.
Ryanair, the largest airline operator in Italy, quickly spoke out against the move which O’Leary said had not been properly thought out.
“They (the government) have no idea how their own decree will work,” he said.
“What average air fare? The average air fare in August, the average air fare in November, the average air fare on a Tuesday, the average air fare on a Friday?”
“You ask these simple questions and they don’t know,” he added.
Industry Minister Adolfo Urso hit back, telling reporters that Italy “is a sovereign country and won’t allow anyone to blackmail it”.
O’Leary said Ryanair remained committed to growing over the long term in Italy, regardless of the government’s moves.
“We have set out for investors that we have 400 aircraft deliveries over the next 10 years and we want to place up to 100 new aircraft in Italy in the next 10 years. We plan to grow from 50 million to 100 million passengers in Italy,” he said.
He expects the company’s annual meeting this week comfortably approve a 300 Boeing aircraft order.
Asked about an RTX Corp engine problem that will force some Ryanair competitors to ground some Airbus jets for inspection in the coming years, O’Leary said he believed it would only have a short-term impact on industry capacity.
“Over the medium and long term it will have no effect,” he said.
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Autors
Popular Topics
euronews.com
26.09.2023 / 09:14
Gatwick Covid outbreak forces London airport to cap flights until Sunday
London’s Gatwick Airport is facing more flight disruption this week - but this time, it’s not down to strikes.
thepointsguy.com
22.09.2023 / 13:45
Delta unveils 2 new flights, 11 expanded routes in largest-ever transatlantic schedule
As the leaves start turning, Delta Air Lines is already gearing up to whisk you away for your dream summer vacation.
skift.com
21.09.2023 / 15:47
Ryanair Says French Push for Minimum Pricing on Flights Is Politically impossible
Ryanair said on Thursday it did not see a risk of the European Union introducing minimum prices or compulsory limits on flights because it would disenfranchise poorer people, making it politically impossible.
skift.com
19.09.2023 / 18:31
France to Push For Minimum Price For Flights Across Europe
France will seek support from other European Union countries for a minimum price on flights in Europe, in a bid to reduce the aviation sector’s contribution to climate change, Transport Minister Clement Beaune has said.
euronews.com
17.09.2023 / 09:11
Gatwick Airport: Flights delayed and cancelled due to staff shortages
Thousands of passengers at Gatwick Airport in the UK faced diversions, delays and cancellations yesterday evening due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
thepointsguy.com
15.09.2023 / 15:53
Delta unveils 3 new flights, 11 expanded routes for next summer
Delta Air Lines is boosting its connectivity to some of the nation's most popular summer destinations.
skift.com
09.09.2023 / 22:35
Air France: Flights to and From all Moroccan Airports Operating Normally
Air France said on Saturday that all its flights to and from Moroccan airports — Marrakech-Menara, Casablanca Mohammed-V and Rabat-Salé — were operating normally.
insider.com
05.09.2023 / 18:11
A travel influencer is clapping back after she was labeled privileged and out of touch for telling people to 'just book a flight' to Thailand
An American travel influencer who told her viewers to book a vacation to Asia was met with backlash as TikTokers pointed out it wasn't easily affordable for people who weren't wealthy, but the influencer hit back and said she wasn't born into privilege.
forbes.com
31.08.2023 / 11:43
Moving To Europe On Your Mind? Best Places To Live And Work, According To Polls
“Home sales to Americans in Europe keep growing”; “The number of Americans living in European countries is increasing”; “Americans relocating to Europe is a trend.”
travelandleisure.com
30.08.2023 / 16:35
Hundreds of Flights Canceled and Over 1,000 Delayed As Hurricane Idalia Makes Landfall in Florida
More than 890 flights have been canceled and more than 1,200 are delayed as Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s northwest coast as a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday morning.
nytimes.com
30.08.2023 / 09:25
Help! I Fell in Sicily and my Travel Insurance Ditched Me
I’m a 68-year-old solo traveler who was on a tour of Sicily in June 2022, when I fell getting off a bus, breaking multiple ribs, vertebrae and a pelvic bone. I had purchased the RoundTrip Choice plan from Seven Corners Travel Insurance, so I called, expecting they would help coordinate my medical care with Italian-speaking doctors. But they told me to seek help on my own, save the receipts and file a claim when I got home. Our tour guide was an angel, arranging drivers to take me back and forth to the hospital and even interpreting by speakerphone with doctors. Days later I got a doctor to fill out a form (which I had to Google Translate for him) saying I could travel home, as long as I was in a reclining position. My family chipped in to buy a business-class seat for the return flight, a day-and-night trip from Palermo to Munich to New York to Jacksonville. Seven Corners finally paid $5,772 for my bills and missed trip, but refused to reimburse me for most of my business-class fare. Far worse, I believe they failed to provide me the assistance they promised, essentially leaving me to fend for myself and leaving me unable to communicate with hospital staff. I have registered complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the state insurance agencies of Florida and Indiana (where Seven Corners is based), but I’ve gotten nowhere. Can you help?