The airline said the move is a direct result of a recent government decision to cap fares to Sicily and Sardinia.
In total, ten routes have been affected including three that have been cancelled, Ryanair said.
“Unfortunately, I am here to announce something that we certainly would not have wanted,” Chief Commercial Officer Jason McGuinness told reporters in Cagliari.
“A reduction of almost 10 per cent compared to the planned schedule is entirely linked to the Italian government’s decree, which we consider totally illegal, and which will only have the effect of reducing connectivity,” he added.
In early August the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved a decree clamping down on the use of algorithms to set flight prices amid claims that they were responsible for soaring fares in recent months, especially for services connecting the mainland to Sicily and Sardinia in the absence of alternative road or rail links.
The decree bans the algorithms if applied to connections to Sicily and Sardinia; if applied to peaks in demand linked to seasonal factors; and if they lead to the price of tickets or accessory services being 200 per cent higher than the average price.
Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson immediately blasted the measure as “ridiculous, illegal and interfering with the free market, according to European law”, and called for it to be cancelled.
The European Commission said it had asked for clarifications from Rome, adding that price capping is rarely an effective means of achieving affordable prices.
ANSA
