(Teleborsa) – Ryanair must guarantee minors and persons with reduced mobility the free allocation of seats near their parents and / or accompanying persons. This is what the Tar of Lazio rejecting as a precautionary measure, the appeal presented by the Irish company against
the provision adopted on July 16, 2021 by the director general of ENAC Alessio Quaranta, in agreement with the president Pierluigi Di Palma.
In particular, with a carefully motivated order, – explains ENAC in a note – “the TAR agreed with ENAC on the safety reasons (flight safety) that are the basis of the provision. In fact, in the event of any emergencies, minors or people with disabilities or other pathologies may not be able to act and move independently. As confirmed by the TAR, contrary to what is claimed by the Irish company, the Enac provision does not concern tariff issues, but has the purpose of guaranteeing the safety of so-called ‘special’ passengers and, for this reason, the object of particular attention and protection of rights by the Authority which has applied, through a regulatory act, to a binding regulation of the European Agency for Flight Safety (EASA) “.
“We welcome with satisfaction the ruling of the TAR which affirms what ENAC is for – he commented Of Palma – has always fought, namely the centrality of the passenger within the civil aviation system, the protection of the quality of the journey, the guarantee of the rights of travelers and flight safety. A special thanks also to the Minister of Infrastructures and Sustainable Mobility, Enrico Giovannini, who had immediately supported the provision, recognizing its value in favor of the most fragile subjects and the right to mobility ”. As recalled by the president of ENAC, Ryanair, during the meeting of 8 September 2021 with Michael O’Leary, formalized with a note of 10 September, reiterated that “the company continues to comply with the Enac provision by reimbursing the cost for seat of the adult accompanying the minor / disabled child, but has also expressed the will to continue during the trial, having the practice of the ‘surcharge’ only a commercial dimension that cannot be criticized by ENAC “.
Following today’s ruling by the Lazio TAR, the Authority announces that it is “certain of a full and unconditional alignment of the booking and purchase systems by all the carriers operating in Italy, with the contents of the provision adopted by the General Manager on July 16, 2021 “and underlines that” in any case, the monitoring activity towards all airlines will continue, applying if necessary the sanctions, from a minimum of 10 thousand euros to a maximum of 50 thousand euros, against all operators defaulting, remembering that they have already sanctioned the carriers Wizzair, Easyjet and Volotea ”.
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