Flights from Albania to Italy continue unrestricted despite drastic measures announced yesterday by the Italian government, which put the region of Lombardy and 14 other cities under quarantine and restricted movement of people in an effort to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Air Albania was the only company to cancel today’s flights to Italy – to Rome, Milan and Bologna.
Three other flights from Tirana to Milan and Rome, operated by Blue Panorama, Easy Jet and Alitalia were not cancelled.
The airport management told Exit News that cancellations were “due to operational issues”, without mentioning the Italian government’s drastic measures announced yesterday. Air Albania didn’t respond to our phone calls.
The company is reportedly rescheduling flights for today’s passengers or reimbursing their tickets.
The death toll in Italy reached 233 yesterday, and the number of those infected with coronavirus was estimated to be 5,883.
Yesterday, the Italian government announced drastic measures in the northern part of the country, placing up to 16 million people under quarantine. Those who want to travel from and to Lombardy region, which includes Milan, and 14 other provinces will need permission by authorities – Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia, Rimini, Pesaro and Urbino, Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano Cusio Ossola, Vercelli, Padua, Treviso and Venice.
3,000 to 5,000 people travel every day from Italy to Albania, but the latter has no confirmed case of infected people. The World Health Organization is studying the Albanian case.
