Fuel price, Salvini reassures: 'Flights guaranteed until May'

Italian travellers - for the time being - can breathe a sigh of relief. Reassurances come fromInfrastructure and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini who, at question time in the Chamber of Deputies, said that the reserves available for flight operations should cover the entire month of May. Again for the head of MIT, Italia's position is more solid than that of most otherEuropean states.

"Tensions in strategic energy areas are clearly creating instability in the markets, 50% of the aircraft fuel destined for Italian airports transits through Hormuz," was Salvini's premise, but "the reserves available in Italia guarantee operations at least through the month of May and our position is more solid than most European states. The deputy prime minister added that 'we are not facing an emergency that jeopardises flight safety or the continuity of the system' and the 'country is holding up' because there is 'coordinated' work.

For the fuel for planes, Salvini continued, "the pressure on costs remains very strong and if this scenario were to continue, it would be increasingly difficult to maintain the balance that we are laboriously guaranteeing citizens. The companies are already reporting concrete criticalities, the risk is a reduction of available flights and a further increase in fares for citizens and businesses that we have managed to block at the moment'.

For the Minister of Transport, 'the immediate, strong and coordinated response that we have asked for at European level includes greater coordination on supplies and the development model, but this is not enough', because 'we need the courage to review some of the green deal choices that risk aggravating an already complicated situation', he added, citing the ETS emissions trading system and budget flexibility.

Salvini went on to say that a table had been convened at the ministry for the presentation of the National Airport Plan next week.