The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has indefinitely suspended the flight license for Ernest Airlines, a company operating in Albania.
The news was announced by the Albanian Civil Aviation Authority to alert passengers from Albania that the route will be suspended as of 13 January 2020. After that date, all flights to and from Albania, as well as other flights, will cease with immediate effect.
The reasons for this decision are not yet known, but according to ENAC if Ernest is able to meet the guarantee elements required by Regulation (EC) no. 1008/2008, which contains common rules for the provision of air services to the European Community, the suspension may be waived.
Ernest entered the Albanian market for the first time on July 1, 2019, and since then it has been offering flights to 10 different Italian airports and vice versa, several times a week.
Classified as a low-cost company, Ernest ticket prices were several times more economical than those of other companies, ranging from 30-35 euros per one way, for example, Tirana-Milan.
Due to the economic prices and numerous destinations to Italy, Ernest had become one of the most widely used Albanian companies.
According to Civil Aviation Authority statistics for October 2019, the Italian company Blue Panorama had 47,104 passengers or as much as 17 per cent of total passengers for this month, followed by Ernest Airlines with 16 per cent of total or 49,504 passengers.
