Giuridico e Amministrativo

🏩 The 'nuove rotte' tender will expire on March 26, outlined by Sardinia's Transport and Tourism, Crafts, and Commerce Department, allocating €10 million annually until 2026 to support airlines proposing new routes to and from the island. It covers 50% of airport costs for 67 total routes—19 to Alghero, 16 to Olbia, and 32 to Cagliari. David Crognaletti, Sogaer's commercial director, highlights the opportunity for Cagliari to demonstrate its year-round tourist appeal. Applications can be made via Sardinia's regional website.

📍 Lufthansa values Air Europa at €800 million, up from IAG's estimate of €650 million, which had previously dropped from €1 billion. The pandemic caused total flight bans, impacting valuations. As air travel rebounds, Lufthansa, unlike IAG, is keen to proceed with the acquisition and has until the end of this week to submit non-binding offers. They propose acquiring 25% of Air Europa's shares and providing up to 10 Boeing 787s; Air Europa already has about 25 of this model.

✈️ Qatar Airways received approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board to acquire a 25% stake in Virgin Australia. The clearance follows a draft decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission a week earlier. Current Virgin shareholders, including Bain Capital and Virgin Group, will retain their stakes. The partnership will enable Virgin to resume long-haul flights, initially connecting Doha with Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth this summer, using Qatar Airways-operated wet lease aircraft.

🌊 The Canary Islands are considering making Naviera Armas a maritime counterpart to the Binter airline. The regional government sees Armas as strategic for transporting goods between the islands and the peninsula. Investment funds, including JP Morgan, currently own the company, with interest in selling dating back a year. Negotiations with Balearia for purchase did not succeed.

✈ Ryanair operates in Puglia with 5 aircraft, offering a total of 82 routes—59 from Bari and 23 from Brindisi, and expects 6.6 million passengers annually. However, growth is hindered by a municipal surcharge, which the airline claims negatively impacts local tourism and employment. Ryanair praises Brindisi's mayor for halting a proposed €1 increase in the surcharge for 2023. The airline urges the abolition of this tax, promising a $4 billion investment, 40 new aircraft, 80 million annual passengers, and over 250 new routes if the tax is removed.

🏛 A South Korean airline employee was arrested for selling confidential travel information of various celebrities, including K-Pop band BTS. She reportedly made around 10 million KRW (approximately 6,600 euros) by distributing data about trips taken between 2023 and 2024. Investigations may extend to more airline staff.

🏠 Giovanni Rana's resort on Lake Garda won a legal victory when the Veneto regional administrative tribunal (Tar) dismissed a lawsuit from Count Agostino Guarenti. The suit aimed to annul construction permits but was rejected as it was filed past the 60-day deadline after work commencement. This is just one of six appeals against the resort in the protected Punta San Vigilio area.

🏠 TTG Travel Experience e InOut | The Hospitality Community hanno incontrato a Milano per il TTG Day, un evento focalizzato su innovazione e impresa nel settore ospitalità. Il TTG Italia ha raccontato l'evento in tempo reale fino alle 16:00. Il prossimo appuntamento è previsto per TTG Travel Experience dall'8 al 10 ottobre a Rimini. I temi principali hanno riguardato il bilanciamento tra razionalità e irrazionalità, il ruolo dell'intelligenza artificiale (IA) e l'importanza del tocco umano nel turismo. L'evento ha visto la partecipazione di esperti di settore e di esponenti del turismo, con l'obiettivo di offrire spunti di riflessione e case history per una nuova etica d'impresa.

🎮 The Italian Ministry of Tourism launched a national call for tour guides, receiving 27,000 applications. This number could potentially double the current 14,000 licensed tour guides, possibly tripling the professional count within the year. Valeria Gerli, ConfGuide president, expressed concerns about declining service quality and "overtourism" effects. ConfGuide criticized the reduction in qualification requirements from a degree to a diploma and foreign language proficiency from two languages to one at B2 level.

✈ Spirit Airlines, poised to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy, received approval from a New York court for its restructuring plan. The airline anticipates new investments of $350 million and plans to issue $840 million in new secured senior debt post-Chapter 11. Additionally, Spirit expects a new credit line up to $300 million.