new investments in Italy and upkeep middle on the way in which” | EUROtoday

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Ryanair desires to open a upkeep middle in Italy for plane based mostly within the nationwide territory, however not solely. «We are evaluating the situation, we’ve got varied proposals, however for the time being we’ve got not but determined the place it is going to be positioned. It will definitely be within the south of Italy. The new construction will probably be added to the pilot coaching middle in Bergamo”, announces the CEO of Ryanair, Eddie Wilson in Milan to participate in the G7 Transport meeting underway at Palazzo Reale until Saturday 13 April. «I was invited by Minister Salvini, I will participate as a listener because Ireland is not part of the G7», he explains speaking to journalists.

Ryanair focuses on Italy

The structure is necessary due to the number of aircraft based in Italy currently around a hundred destined to grow: «Our intention is to continue investing in Italy, we have a growth plan for the next five years of 4 billion euros of investments to base another 40 planes and bring another 20 million passengers to Italy. We continue to grow with the lowest rates on the market, but some people don't understand it.”

The controversy with AGCOM

The CEO takes challenge with AGCOM which has opened an investigation in opposition to Ryanair for its dominant place: in keeping with 2022 Enac information, the low value firm has an general market share of 44% between nationwide and worldwide connections which rises to 53% just for the nationwide ones.. «The AGCM investigation is sudden for us. The Authority suspects our dominant place in Italy, however ought to as a substitute examine pirate OTAs (on-line journey businesses), which apply mark-ups of as much as 216% on on-line bookings.” Wilson then asked for Antutrust to intervene against eDream, the Spanish platform for purchasing airline tickets which, according to an investigation by the same low cost company, has increased the price of tickets with «hidden surcharges and invented service commissions of up to 65 euros which on the Ryanair website do not exist. It's incredible – adds Wilson – while the company tries to keep rates low, consumer agencies such as AGCOM do nothing in their defence.”

Meetings with the Italian authorities

The supervisor of the Irish low value firm met the Minister of Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, in current weeks: «We have good relations with the Italian authorities and with the minister we talked in regards to the subsequent Jubilee and the necessity to develop Ciampino to attach higher Rome.” Also at the center of the meeting were development plans to bring tourists to Italy: «SWe are the largest Italian investor in aviation, we are growing by 37%, we have over 100 planes, we have opened a base in Trieste and one in Calabria, where no one else would have invested. We invest everywhere in Italy, because we are efficient and take risks” he added, exhibiting the ruling of the Court of Appeal of Milan final January which established that “there is no abuse of a dominant position by Ryanair on the downstream travel services market and tourism. The AGCM should go and read that sentence drawn up with the help of economic experts instead of investigating us in vain.”

The investments that Ryanair places on the desk additionally depend upon the need of the municipal administrations to abolish the hated municipal tax which weighs on airline tickets as has been completed in Trieste the place Ryanair not too long ago based mostly a aircraft and expects 200 thousand passengers whereas in Reggio Calabria it estimates 500 thousand . «Ryanair grew by 37% between pre and submit Covid in Italy – defined Wilson, – in 2019 we reached 45 million passengers and we are going to shut 2024 with 61.5 million (+37%). In the identical interval during which Ryanair gained 16.5 million passengers, Ita misplaced 5.5, falling from 25.4 to 19.9 million, EasyJet 1.8, falling from 21.7 to 19.8 million and Volotea 1 .9, going from 7.8 to five.8 million”.