The Italian civil aviation authority says its meeting with Ryanair regarding adherence to the country’s Covid-19 health measures was “cordial”, with the airline reaffirming its commitment to enforcing all requirements.
The 16 September gathering between ENAC and the Irish carrier came after the former released a statement claiming it had received “reports regarding Ryanair’s incomplete compliance with the provisions planned in Italy to limit the health risk derived from coronavirus on board the aircraft departing and arriving at national airports”.
But in a statement released late on 17 September, the low-cost carrier says that at the meeting – which it claims was organised at its own insistence – Ryanair was able to explain how it ”fully complies with all WHO, ECDC, EASA and Italian Covid-19 guidelines”.
Addressing a specific allegation from ENAC – that passengers were arriving at Italian airports without completed Covid-19 self-declaration forms – Ryanair says it has offered to supply the paperwork to authorities in digital form.
Prior to the meeting, ENAC had alleged that a lack of compliance with the requirement for passengers to carry forms was contributing to the lengthening of the checking processes at airports.
“Ryanair has offered to provide ENAC with an online digital passenger locator form to provide all information to the Italian health authorities as is in place in Spain, Greece, Ireland and Belgium, and eliminate manual handling of paper forms, which are a Covid vector,” the Irish carrier states.
Ryanair notes that it reminds passengers of the requirement to complete the form before they travel.
In more general terms, ENAC says in a post-meeting statement that it stressed to Ryanair “the obligation, which is incumbent on the carrier, to enforce the provisions” aimed at limiting the spread of coronavirus.
The low-cost carrier states: “Ryanair is committed to the highest level of safety for our passengers and crew and fully complies with the regulations and measures set out by all EU countries where Ryanair operates”.
ENAC also spoke to the airline in early August regarding allegations of non-compliance with health measures – denied by the carrier – including claims that social-distancing requirements were not being met by its passengers. At the time, ENAC said that failure to rectify the situation could lead to Ryanair’s services being suspended.
