Ryanair to serve writ against Italian air regulator

Ryanair is reportedly threatening to take the Italian air regulator to court because it is “interfering in competition” by refusing to give it take-off and landing slots for a new route. The no-frills carrier is launching a route between Rome Ciampino airport and Alghero, Sardinia, on 28 April, and says it has already sold some 10,000 tickets for the new service. However, the carrier claims to have been told by the Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazone Civile (Enac) that it could not operate the route, which is already being served by two airlines. According to the Daily Telegraph, Ryanair has told Enac that it will be getting a writ by the end of this week. Boss Michael O’Leary is quoted as saying: “We have written to Enac, asking the concession of the slots. Now we are pressing to have a response by the end of this week. There is no explanation for the behaviour of Enac, which has no right to interfere in competition between Ryanair and Alitalia.” The Telegraph quotes Enac president Vito Reggio as saying that the route was limited to two carriers by a previous court ruling: “The route is already served by two competing airlines, Meridiana and Air One. We are talking about an explanation that is of a legal nature. You cannot change that context, nor make it a personal issue.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com