If the summer season had ended at the end of June, financial penalties would have already been imposed on Aeroitalia, which exceeded the cancellation limit set by the ministerial decree governing territorial continuity.
Three months after the new regime was introduced, the Region has taken stock and highlighted the problems that have emerged on some of the five routes entrusted to the company.
In recent days, Aeroitalia has reported cancellations below 2%, 1.85% to be precise. However, the overall figure doesn't count, but rather the individual route.
And on three routes, the 2% threshold has been exceeded. The most critical situation is on the Cagliari-Linate route, where the cancellation rate exceeds 3% .
The carrier is also accused of failing, on certain days, to comply with the decree's requirement to guarantee passengers the option of a same-day return flight , with a minimum stay of six hours in Italy. Furthermore, the dedicated call center wait times and the failure to activate the additional flights requested by the Region within the required timeframes are also cited. These aspects are already subject to sanctions, and, the Region specifies, "the procedures required by the contract have been activated."
Cancellations are a different matter; the data must be considered at the end of the IATA season. Therefore, the audit will be conducted at the end of the summer. Fines of €3,000 for each flight cancelled exceeding the 2% threshold will be applied to routes where the 2% threshold is exceeded . Furthermore, the decree does not allow for the cancellation of scheduled flights; the 2% threshold is merely the maximum limit beyond which automatic fines are triggered. "We have notified the carrier of the violations and requested full restoration of service," the Region explains.
"Our goal," emphasizes Councilor Barbara Manca , "is not to impose penalties, but to ensure that citizens can take advantage of all scheduled flights. We will continue to monitor the situation, implementing all possible measures to ensure that the airline restores a situation consistent with the mobility needs of Sardinians."
The delays
Regarding delays, the data collected by the department appear to be in line with the market. Territorial continuity flights operated by Aeroitalia and ITA Airways experience lower delay rates than free market flights . The average delay rate for flights operated with a delay of more than 15 minutes was well below the tolerance threshold set by the tender (80% of flights on time), with a rate of 11.26% for flights departing from the island and 16.97% for incoming flights. These percentages also include delays caused by factors beyond the carrier's control.
In the first three months of service of the new territorial continuity , only 7 flights exceeded 3 hours of delay, with a percentage of 0.22%. The percentage increases slightly for delays exceeding 2 hours, which stand at 0.92% (29 flights in total) .
It is also emphasized that since June, all domestic air traffic has seen an increase in delays due to the increase in transit passengers and limited capacity. In terms of continuity, the Cagliari-Linate route is the most affected , as Milan's airport is experiencing severe congestion.
"We fully understand the inconvenience even a single delay can cause passengers," Manca concludes, "but our duty is to distinguish between the perceived poor service and objective data analysis . Where carrier responsibility emerges, we intervene decisively; however, where critical issues arise from factors external to the territorial continuity service, we continue to monitor the situation, maintaining a high level of vigilance in the interests of citizens."
(Unioneonline/L)