«This morning, on the Aeroitalia Fiumicino–Cagliari flight, I witnessed a situation that was nothing short of incredible.»
Thus begins the story, shared on social media, of Gianfranco Satta, former regional councilor, now councilor, departing Rome with a scheduled takeoff at 6:20 a.m. for his return to Sardinia.
"As soon as we boarded," Satta writes, "already seated in our assigned seats, the plane, with its engines running, stalled three times. Fortunately, we're still stationary on the apron."
"When I asked for an explanation," Satta continued, "I was told it was just a 'little electrical problem.'" After about half an hour, however, we were told it would be best to change planes. A 'little problem' that, evidently, wasn't so minor!
"It's unacceptable," Satta states, "that a plane, after stalling three times before takeoff, is initially dismissed as having a generic 'electrical problem,' only to then decide, half an hour later, to replace it. Passengers have the right to clear explanations and to know what really happened. Safety has no place for superficiality, especially when transporting people. At this point," concludes Satta, who then boarded another plane with the other passengers, "it would be appropriate for the regional transport councilor, Barbara Manca, to take action to advance Aeroitalia's departure from Sardinia. Because, frankly, the sooner it goes, the better!"
The company's reply
Aeroitalia responded with a statement: the company, it reads, "categorically denies the statements made by Gian Franco Satta, Regional Councilor of Sardinia, as false, unfounded, and seriously damaging to the company's image and reputation. Contrary to what the Councilor reported, the aircraft's engines were never started, and therefore the story that the aircraft 'stopped out three times on the runway' is completely unfounded. These are irresponsible claims that risk generating unwarranted alarm among passengers and the public, as well as discrediting, without any factual basis, an airline that operates in full compliance with applicable regulations and under the constant supervision of the competent authorities. Safety is an absolute and non-negotiable value for Aeroitalia." In light of the seriousness of the allegations made, Aeroitalia has already instructed its lawyers to take all appropriate steps to protect the company in the relevant jurisdictions."
