The Italian government has announced that it will limit the prices of flights to the two most popular resort islands of the country – Sardinia and Sicily.
According to The Sun, the restrictions will apply during the peak summer months and holidays, when most tourists are in these regions. Accordingly, the crazy demand excites the prices of air tickets “to heaven”.
It is noted that a recent study by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera showed that the prices of flights to these islands from mainland Italy during the peak tourist season in the summer can be 830% higher than the average at other times of the year.
In addition, prices also rose sharply during the Christmas holidays. So, the cost of a one-way ticket from Rome to Palermo was 511 euros for an hourly flight, which is more expensive than a flight from Rome to New York.
After that, the Italian government passed a new law that prohibits the sale of domestic flights to Sicily and Sardinia during the summer at prices more than 200% higher than normal.
Also, the new legislation prohibits sudden price jumps during any emergencies in the country.
Thus, the publication notes, vacations in Italy can become much cheaper due to restrictions on dynamic pricing.
“We intervened by issuing a decree that protects the market and consumers. The state must intervene when measures are applied to citizens that do not comply with market rules, but contradict their rights and do not protect them,” Italian Industry Minister Adolfo Urso commented on the decision.
At the same time, representatives of the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, which operates a huge number of flights to Italy, criticized the new law, calling it “senseless and illegal”.
The airline’s chief executive, Eddie Wilson, called for it to be scrapped, adding: “If it doesn’t happen, it will affect Ryanair’s ability to operate in Italy.”
As previously reported by DIP, super-cheap flights are at risk due to a new environmental tax in the EU. As early as 2024, a fee for permission to emit carbon dioxide will be gradually introduced for airlines in Europe, read the details here.