Airlines scrutinise latest bid to settle Malpensa dispute

Date: 09/03/2000

By Renée Cordes

Europe's largest airlines are scrutinising Italy's latest proposal for transferring flights from Milan's Linate airport to its troubled Malpensa facility closely to ensure that it does not discriminate against foreign carriers.

Italian Transport Minister Pier Luigi Bersana signed a long-awaited decree last week to move the bulk of flights from Linate to Malpensa from 20 April, nearly four weeks later than previously planned.

The decree, which will leave more flights at Linate than under the original proposals unveiled last year, is aimed at ending a long-standing dispute with airlines, environmental groups and the European Commission over the move.

The airlines have repeatedly urged the EU executive to postpone the switch-over for as long as possible, claiming that Malpensa is not ready to cope with the extra flights and that transport links between the two facilities could not handle the additional traffic.

Under Rome's latest plan, only certain flights would be allowed to continue operating out of Linate. There would, however, be no restrictions on routes used by more than 2.8 million passengers - a condition which is only met by Milan-Rome flights operated by Italian carrier Alitalia.

Lufthansa spokesman Thomas Kropp said that if the airlines were not convinced that the latest plan was fair and workable, they would file a fresh complaint fairly soon against Rome.