We firmly reject the narrative that the Sardinia Region remained immobile in the face of rising fuel costs and the difficulties posed by Aeroitalia. The facts and dates tell a completely different story.
This is Transport Councillor Barbara Manca's response to accusations of inaction leveled against the Region at a time when criticism is raining down from various quarters, from the opposition and the unions, as well as from the company itself.
The first official moment was the political agreement reached in May, after the Ministry of Transport convened an initial roundtable, which was followed by the definition of a shared path between the Region and the Government, based on the economic co-financing of a fund for airline reimbursements. In mid-August, while awaiting these technical opinions, we nevertheless allocated €10 million in the regional budget adjustment, and by September, just over a month later, the resources were available. In any case, from that moment on, we made a clear political choice: not to increase fares paid by passengers , but to intervene through compensation for airlines.
"Allocating the funds," the Minister of Transport specifies, "does not mean we can disburse them while ignoring European regulations. For routes operated with financial compensation, the Region quickly completed the necessary calculations. For those without compensation, however, the legislation requires notification to the European Commission, to prevent the contributions from being considered unlawful state aid. This risk would also have consequences for the airline , which could be required to repay the sums received. At this stage, completing the process requires the involvement and necessary steps of ENAC and the Ministry, with whom we are in constant communication."
The Transport Councillor reiterates that the Region "has not stood still, but has chosen to protect citizens from rising ticket prices, support airlines, and safeguard workers, without burdening them with the effects of an international crisis."
(Unioneonline/AD)