Italian consumer watchdog Codacons is set to drop a case launched against airlines over alleged price fixing for certain Italian over the Christmas period.
In November 2023, Italian politicians Laura Ferrara and Mario Furore wrote to the European Parliament, detailing that “in the run-up to Christmas, airlines for flights to Italy’s southern and island regions have leapt up for the umpteenth time,” adding that European Commissioner for Transport Peter Valean has indicated that the EU is looking into this ‘anomaly’.
A case – initiated following a complaint by consumer group Codacons – was then launched, investigating flights connecting Sicilian cities of Palermo and Catania with destinations on the Italian mainland. National carrier ITA Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air were all implicated.
However, according to Reuters, antitrust official Guido Stazi has told parliament that the regulator found no evidence to support claims of “illicit coordination”. He added that the airlines have been informed of the outcome and the case is set to be formally closed within the next few weeks.