Ryanair to keep flying domestically in Italy

ROME — Ryanair backed down Thursday from a threat to ground its domestic flights in Italy after aviation officials agreed to limit the types of ID documents passengers can show at airport gates.

Under a deal with Italy’s civil aviation authority, known by the acronym ENAC, passengers flying Ryanair will still be required to show a passport or a national identity card when boarding domestic flights, the carrier said in a statement.

Last month, the Irish budget airline threatened to stop operating domestic flights out of 10 Italian airports starting Jan. 23 after ENAC pressed it to comply with new rules allowing passengers to show other ID documents, including driver’s licenses, government badges, and even fishing and hunting licenses.

The airline had said those identification methods were less secure and the decision threatened flight safety. ENAC had insisted the rules were based on Italian law and all other carriers had agreed to comply with them.

ENAC confirmed a deal had been reached at a meeting with Ryanair officials on Thursday, saying the two sides had agreed licenses to drive, hunt and fish would not, at least for now, be accepted as forms of identification.

The authority gave Ryanair more time to study the feasibility of accepting most of the documents listed in the new rules, especially driver’s licenses, ENAC president Vito Riggio said at a news conference. Ryanair would accept documents issued by state authorities, such as government badges, he said.

Ryanair spokesman Stephen McNamara said this would be the only new form of identification accepted by the airline.

Ryanair said in its statement it would contact passengers to advise them that domestic flights would continue uninterrupted after Jan. 23.