Italy looks likely to modify legislation which applies a tax on visiting foreign-registered business aircraft that was passed earlier this year.
Italy's parliament originally passed an act applying an annual tax on Italian aircraft owners and operators which were not operating public transport flights. This also applied to foreign-registered aircraft that stayed in Italy longer than 48h.
On 17 April, a bill - which has yet to be ratified - proposed an extension of the exemption period for foreign-registered aircraft from 48h to 45 days.
The Italian government appears to be responding to pressure from operators and indications that the tax would deny business to Italian fixed-base operators.
Canada-based World Air Operations, for example, has advised its client operators to drop their passengers in Italy and take the aircraft across the Adriatic to a Croatian airport like Dubrovnik, rather than spend 48h or more in Italy.
In March, a part of the same rule which had been applied to luxury yachts was removed completely for foreign vessels visiting Italy.
Source: Flight International