Ryanair has told Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech that failure by the government to allot it the Malta-Bologna route could result in the “jeopardising” of its entire package of flights from Malta.
Informed sources told MaltaToday the stern warning comes after a month of demands from the Irish carrier to take over the Bologna route, recently vacated by Italian low-fares Meridiana.
Yesterday, Ryanair’s deputy CEO Michael Crawley said discussions on the route were “still ongoing”, but he added that he could not comment on the future of Ryanair until discussions finish.
The airline wants to fly to Forli, outside Bologna, to have an additional short-haul flight. Sources say the route is part of an informal “deal” with government after Ryanair took over long-haul flights to Stockholm, Bremen and Valencia. The airline was refused the Trapani route initially.
Attempts to contact the tourism minister yesterday proved futile.