Loss-making Italian airline Meridiana-Air Italy accused low-cost giant Ryanair on Wednesday of "unfair competition," cutting two local flights to the Southern Italian city of Bari in protest.The Italian airline, borne out of the recent merger of two local carriers, said it will stop the Verona-Bari and Milan Linate-Bari connections as of September 16. Bari is a gateway to Puglia, home to many beach resorts and leisure destinations.Small airports in Italy gave funds to Ryanair for it to develop international routes, Meridiana-Air Italy said. But instead, the Irish carrier is using the money to subsidise flights within Italy, directly competing with local carriers, Meridiana-Air Italy said."Meridiana-Air Italy will verify the competitive conditions in each single airport. Should it find distortions, it will immediately axe the connection," the group said in a statement.Meridiana-Air Italy reported on Wednesday a first-half net loss of EUR€60.9 million, compared with a pro-forma loss of EUR€67.3 million a year earlier, when the two groups had not yet merged.Source: Reuters
Gravity always wins!