Ryanair objects to Italian flight restrictions

Ryanair has filed a lawsuit against Italy's civil aviation authority for cutting traffic at Rome's smaller airport by 30 per cent from November.

Ryanair said the move by ENAC to restrict the number of flights using Ciampino airport was "unlawful" and designed to protect Alitalia, Italy's national carrier. The low-cost carrier has applied to the regional administrative court in Lazio for an "immediate injunction" to overturn ENAC's decision.

It has also submitted a complaint to the European Commission asking it to "immediately intervene" to prohibit the reduction of capacity at Rome's secondary airport.

Ryanair said that unless the Italian court intervenes, it will be forced to terminate services from Ciampino to Madrid, Zaragoza and to "drastically" reduce services to Glasgow. It would also be unable to relaunch its route to Alghero in Sardinia, which it was forced to cease last year.

Italian politicians and civil aviation authority ENAC agreed last month to reduce the number of daily flights out of Ciampino airport to 100 from 138 from November, after complaints of congestion and high noise levels from local residents. Ryanair said military aircraft, rather than its flights, are to blame for noise at night and dismissed ENAC's claim that runway repairs are another reason for the cuts.

"This is nothing more than the latest illegal attempt by ENAC and the Italian government to limit the growth of low-cost carriers to protect Alitalia," Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary told a news conference yesterday.

He said the decision will force Ryanair to cancel 66 flights each week, or about 12 per cent of its flights out of Ciampino, which caters for budget airlines.

Ryanair is the biggest operator from Ciampino, carrying about 3.5 million passengers annually. After investing €350 million at Ciampino in recent years, Ryanair said it does not want to move its flights to Rome's larger Fiumicino hub.

"All we want to be allowed to do is to continue to fly our existing operations," Mr O'Leary said.

Ryanair is in talks with three other Italian cities to set up new bases, including one on the mainland and two on Italian islands, he said. The airline has repeatedly criticised Italian state support for the loss-making Alitalia, in which the government is trying to sell its controlling stake.

Mr O'Leary laughed when asked if he would consider buying Alitalia. He said he would not take over Alitalia, even if were given away for free.