The inconvenience caused by the strikes and the lack of employees involving foreign and low cost companies are not affecting Italy “if not in a derivative way” because “the policy adopted and the government made it possible with the layoffs and 800 million in aid to keep airport staff” that other countries now have difficulty finding. This is stated by ithe president of Enac Pierluigi Di Palma which ensures the commitment of the Entity “alongside” travel rights and reports that the sector has restarted: “in the last 3 months the data are better than in 2019”.
“And Italy – he explains – had prepared itself for this”.
Three factors make flights to Europe difficult – explains Di Palma – “the strikes, Covid and now the shortage of personnel, almost a perfect storm”. “Recently a plane arrived from England in Florence without travelers because they had not passed the anti-covid checks to get on board”. But the main issue now appears to be that of personnel. For companies that fired during the period of the covid blockade “it is now difficult to find new employees. At Heathrow a handling worker took 19,000 pounds, now you can’t find it at 30,000. And it is not easy to train new staff. The fact is that those who have been fired have also felt betrayed “.” In Italy we have chosen a different life and the government has chosen to help the sector – he says – by providing layoffs and aid for 800 million. This made it possible to retain airport personnel and to guarantee ground services “.
On the difficulties of carriers, based in other countries, ENAC has fewer weapons. “At the moment, the inconveniences are only in the Bergamo airports, where Ryanair operates, and in Venice, where there are other low cost operators – highlights the Enac president – One thing is certain is that we work alongside travelers to guarantee services and rights. “In the event of a flight cancellation, the ticket is covered or refunded, accommodation if there is an overnight stay and also the request for other damages. Enac looks carefully at the services rendered by the companies and the airports. Recently a flight arrived late in Palermo during the night and in fact the connections with the city were now closed: Enac took action to ask for external services to be maintained. In Italy, however, people have returned to travel by plane. “If you take the data from the beginning of the year, you are still at a level lower than in 2019, but the last three months have instead recorded growth – analyzes Di Palma – I take the example of Palermo which in May marks a + 7% and in June a + 4%. There is a growth especially in the South due to the loyalty of Italians, who choose to take a holiday in the country, to which are also added foreign tourists. But Fiumicino is also 90% compared to 2019, well above initial expectations. After all, I had foreseen that the recovery would be U-shaped, with a strong restart even if with a stasis a little longer than the crisis of the Twin Towers. And that’s what happened. “Certainly – he assures – attention remains high to monitor the difficulties that could come from other countries.
Source: Ansa
I have been working in the news industry for over 10 years now and I have worked for some of the biggest news websites in the world. My focus has always been on entertainment news, but I also cover a range of other topics. I am currently an author at Global happenings and I love writing about all things pop-culture related.
