Ryanair go-ahead for Sardinia route

No-frills carrier Ryanair has been given permission to launch a route between Rome and Sardinia after threatening to sue the Italian civil aviation regulator.

As reported by News From Abroad, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary last week threatened to send a writ to Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (Enac) unless it complied with its request for take-off and landing slots for flights between Rome Ciampino and Alghero, on the Mediterranean island.

He accused the organisation of trying to stifle competition of the route, adding: “There is no explanation for the behaviour of Enac, which has no right to interfere in competition between Ryanair and Alitalia.”

Ryanair claims it has already sold more than 10,000 seats for the service, which will be launched on April 28.

Though Ryanair remains a strictly point-to-point airline, the development means that passengers will effectively be able to fly from Stansted to Alghero – albeit with a wait in Rome.

The Times and Telegraph quote Peter Sherrard, Ryanair’s head of communications, as thanking Enac’s president Vito Reggio: “We thank Signor Reggio for his intervention in this matter.”

Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com