Emirates is planning to appeal a decision by the Lazio Regional Administrative Court that its Milan-New York JFK service, which is an extension of the existing Dubai-Milan route, is illegal.
The court found the claim brought by Assaereo, which states that the route breaches the terms of the Italy-United Arab Emirates bilateral air service agreement, was correct. Emirates however received approval for the route it described as being on an extra-bilateral basis at the time from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority ENAC. That decision has since been set aside by the Council of State, while the appeal is pending.
Emirates stated: “We are pleased with yesterday’s decision by the Consiglio di Stato to suspend the ruling of Lazio Regional Administrative Court until the confirmation hearing for the suspension order is heard. We anticipate that the court will look favorably on our application to remain in operation on the Milan-New York JFK route until a full hearing on our appeal, anticipated to take place before the end of this year.”
Emirates said it was disappointed by the Lazio court’s ruling and noted the disputed service had proved popular with Italian customers, as more than 70,000 passengers booked flights over the upcoming summer. “This highlights both a clear customer demand and need for the added choice this service provides. We hope that, eventually, the interests of consumers and the business community will prevail.”