Civair: Italian Response to U.S.-Linate

UNCLAS ROME 003262

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR IT AVIATION FAA
SUBJECT: Civair: Italian Response to U.S.-Linate
Codeshare proposal

Ref: A) State 159355; B) Rome 1846; C) State 55375


1. On July 23, Embassy delivered ref A talking points on
U.S. carrier complaints regarding Alitalia/Air France
codeshare operations at Milan's Linate Airport to Aldo
Sansone, Director General for Civil Aviation in the
Ministry of Transport. In Sansone's response, he denies
illegitimate and discriminatory acts against the U.S.
companies wishing to offer codeshare services between
Linate and other EU airports.


2. Sansone's argument is the following: Both Air France
and Alitalia have the right to offer services between
Linate Airport and Paris, under the bilateral civil
aviation agreement between Italy and France and EU
regulations. Therefore, the GOI must permit Air France
and Alitalia to code-share between Linate and Paris (two
intra-EU airports). However, U.S. airlines do not have
the right to offer services between Linate and other
intra-EU destinations (such as London and Frankfurt).
Therefore, U.S. airlines may not codeshare to/from those
destinations.

3. Informal translation of Sansone's statement is as
follows:

Begin Text:
Linate Airport is not open to intercontinental services
nor to segments thereof;

In this context and in a regime of equal treatment,
Delta's request to operate codesharing with Alitalia out
of Linate has not been approved, and no other
consideration will be given to this request,
notwithstanding Delta's alliance with Alitalia;

Passengers departing Linate may freely chose connections
with any other airport, with any company they wish to
fly, to any destination, as is the case in any local,
national or regional airport of the world, without
changing the nature of traffic or of services provided at
the departure airport;

The codesharing rights of U.S. companies set out in the
existing bilateral agreement, as with any traffic rights,
refer to cities and not to individual airports within an
airport system, and the distribution of services can be
determined by the competent authorities.

The existing U.S.-Italy Air Services Agreement does not
provide for seventh freedom rights and, therefore, intra-
EU point-to-point services by U.S. carriers exceed the
limits of the agreement.

With particular respect to Air France, that company
operates both direct and codeshare services between
Linate and Paris, provided for and consented to by
existing regulations, but these services are only in
connections with other connections from Paris to the
United States, in conformity with international
procedure, as is expressly set forth in the same Internet
site to which the U.S. Embassy refers.
End Text.

Skodon


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2004ROME03262 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED