INJUNCTION AGAINST ENAC
Ryanair Holdings PLC
08 August 2007
RYANAIR APPLIES FOR INJUNCTION AGAINST LATEST UNLAWFUL ATTEMPT
BY ENAC TO BLOCK LOW FARES AND COMPETITION
Ryanair, Europe's largest low fares airline, today (8th August) announced that
it has applied to the regional administrative court in Lazio for an immediate
injunction to overturn the recent unlawful attempt by ENAC (the Italian Civil
Aviation Authority) to restrict capacity at Rome Ciampino Airport by almost 30%
from November 2007. In so doing the Italian Authorities are again trying to
support the terminally ill Alitalia by blocking low fares and competition in
Rome. Ryanair has also submitted a complaint to the European Commission asking
it to immediately intervene on behalf of consumers to prohibit this unlawful
reduction of capacity at Rome's secondary airport.
For the past year ENAC has been trying by various unlawful means to restrict the
low fares and choice offered by airlines at Rome Ciampino as follows:
•False claims about a night time noise issue at the airport, despite the
fact Ryanair, which uses the quietest and youngest aircraft in Ciampino,
does not operate any night time flights at Ciampino. All of Ryanair's
repeated requests for a detailed noise study at Rome Ciampino Airport to
expose the truth of this matter have been ignored. Such a study would have
proved conclusively that noise problems at Rome Ciampino are being caused by
military aircraft operating at night and have nothing to do with the
commercial movements of airlines like Ryanair or Easyjet.
•In May last year ENAC imposed an unlawful PSO monopoly between Rome and
Alghero forcing Ryanair to stop offering low fares and choice on this route.
Again, there were no grounds for this blatant attempt to protect Alitalia
and the European Commission has now instructed the Italian Government to
reverse this unlawful decision.
•Now ENAC has issued an order that capacity at Rome Ciampino airport is to
be reduced by 30% to just 100 movements per day from November. They have
also ordered that the airport must close for at least 5 months for
unsubstantiated 'essential' runway works and that commercial flights should
not return to Ciampino upon completion. There is no evidence that there is
any problem with the runway in Ciampino. Airlines were not consulted about
ENAC's claimed need to undertake these runway works. Furthermore ENAC have
made no attempt to explain why commercial flights should be not be allowed
to return to Ciampino upon completion of these works.
Speaking today in Rome, Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary said:
'This latest unlawful attempt by the Italian Authorities to restrict capacity
and block low fares at Rome Ciampino airport is bad for Italian consumers/
visitors. If Ryanair and the other low fare airlines using Rome Ciampino are
removed unlawfully by ENAC, Italian consumers/visitors will be forced to pay
Alitalia's rapaciously high fares and fuel surcharges while tourism in Rome will
suffer irreparable damage.
'We have asked the Lazio Court for an injunction to stop this unlawful reduction
in capacity at Ciampino so that Ryanair can continue to operate on its existing
network of routes this summer and to offer new services. Without this injunction
the following routes would have to be terminated: Rome to Madrid; Rome to
Saragoza and flights to Glasgow and Madrid would have to be drastically reduced.
Ryanair would also be prevented from re-launching the Rome to Alghero route - a
route it was forced to terminate due to an unlawful PSO imposed by ENAC. Ryanair
has also called on the European Commission to intervene immediately on behalf of
Italian consumers/visitors who should not be denied flights or forced to pay
higher fares because of these unlawful efforts to provide further illegal state
support to Alitalia'.
Ends. 8th August 2007
For further information:
Lorna Farren - Ryanair Pauline McAlester - Murray Consultants
Tel: 00 353 1 812 1271 Tel: 00 353 1 4980 300
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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