The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) announced last Monday the ban on planes of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from taking off from Italy’s Mediterranean islands, a measure strongly criticized by the NGOs concerned who have been monitoring this area for years.
NGO planes will no longer be able to take off from airports on the Mediterranean islands of Sicily, Lampedusa and Pantelleria, ENAC said in a press release, specifying that “this order came into force with immediate effect”.
Thanks to these planes, NGOs could spot migrant boats in distress in the central Mediterranean Sea. ENAC considered that the use of these planes was not justified, as they “represent an additional burden for official rescue teams” and “compromise the security of migrants”.
The NGO Sea-Watch reacted on the social network
“We will not cease our operations even if this puts our planes in danger. This attack which flouts international law will not prevent us from continuing to annoy those who would like what happens daily in the Mediterranean to remain a secret,” underlined the NGO which took off one of its planes from the Mediterranean on Wednesday. Lampedusa airport.
