Not just Ryanair. The European association of airlines, Airlines for Europe, which in addition to the Irish carrier also brings together carriers of the caliber of Air France-Klm and Lufthansa, is also taking sides against the Italian grip on expensive flights.

He turns to the EU Commission to clarify "with Italy" the impact of the decree on the "free and deregulated" European air transport market. And, complaining of a possible domino effect in other countries, he asks if the measure does not violate the right of airlines to compete and set their own prices and services.

The Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy has already announced that the announced measures are "fully in line with the European directives on consumer protection". Mimit then reiterated that he had intervened after "speculative phenomena" highlighted by the Competition Guarantor in the routes to and from Sicily. ENAC, added the dicastery, "has ascertained how the cost of tickets has grown in a completely anomalous way precisely in coincidence with catastrophic events, such as the derailment of the freight train near the Firenze Castello station or the flood in Emilia -Romagna, when other means of transport were not practicable». Increases were also recorded on the routes to and from Sardinia, affecting the island's overall economy.

The ministry then made it known that it wanted to "protect citizen-users from the speculative phenomena" that emerged "just in times of greatest need".

As for the algorithm that profiles users, it is "a distorting commercial practice" which "also harms the fundamental right to privacy, and this is absolutely unacceptable", reported the ministry, once again pointing the finger at Ryanair.

"Price freedom is a key component of the success of the single European aviation market", Airlines for Europe said for its part, "and we are concerned that the decree-law in Italy contravenes EU rules that guarantee this freedom and seriously undermine the single aviation market. We have asked the European Commission to address our concerns with the Italian authorities and to ensure full compliance with EU laws governing the single aviation market in Europe."

In his letter to Brussels, the director of the association, Ourania Georgoutsakou, also signaled the risk that the Asset decree could create a precedent: it could "lead to a domino effect translated into the adoption of similar rules in other EU member states". A ceiling on airfares, then, "would violate" the right of companies "to compete whenever possible, to fix prices and define services as they see fit".

(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)

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