Order 2014-3-19 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY 

 WASHINGTON, D.C.

 Issued by the Department of Transportation 

 On March 28, 2014 

 

 Served: March 28, 2014 

In the matter of

 

THE IMPOSITION OF UNJUST USER CHARGES AT 

ITALIAN AIRPORTS

under Section 41310(c) of the International Air 

Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act, as amended

 Docket DOT-OST-2013-0038

ORDER TERMINATING PROCEEDINGS 

By this Order, we terminate the captioned proceeding as the matters raised by Order to Show Cause, 

Order 2013-3-1, issued March 15, 2013, have been resolved. 

In Order 2013-3-1, we tentatively found that certain user charges imposed at Italian airports had an 

unjust discriminatory effect on U.S. carriers, violating the U.S.-EU Air Transport Agreement and 

warranting remedial action under the International Air Transportation Fair Competitive Practices Act 

(IATFCPA).1

 Under the terms of the Order, we proposed to impose certain operational restrictions on 

Italian-flag carrier Alitalia-Compagnia Aerea Italiana S.p.A. (Alitalia), to remedy the effect of 

differentiated charges imposed on U.S. carriers at Italian airports.2

 We received an objection from 

Alitalia-Compagnia Aerea Italiana S.p.A., and comments in support of the Department’s action from 

American Airlines, Inc., United Air Lines, Inc., US Airways, Inc., and Airlines for America, in 

accordance with the procedural schedule outlined in the Order. 

As a result of consultations in the U.S.-EU Joint Committee, the Italian authorities announced that they 

would implement new practices with respect to airport charging policies. By letter to the Deputy 

Assistant Secretary for Transportation Affairs at the Department of State dated February 27, 2014, the 

European Commission has confirmed that the Italian authorities have implemented the necessary 

 

1 See Order 2013-3-1, issued March 15, 2013, in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0038. 2

 As explained in Order 2013-3-1, the differentiated charges resulted from higher take-off and landing fees imposed by 

Italian airport authorities for extra-EU-originating flights as opposed to intra-EU flights. U.S. carriers operate only extraEU-originating flights to Italian airports and were therefore disproportionately impacted by the user charges. 
measures to eliminate the discriminatory charges.3

 With these new practices, all issues raised in the 

captioned complaint have been fully resolved. Under these circumstances, we will terminate, as moot, 

the proceeding in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0038. 

ACCORDINGLY, 

1. We terminate, as moot, the proceeding in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0038; and 

2. We will serve this order on certificated U.S. air carriers operating large aircraft; foreign air 

carriers of the EU licensed by the Department to operate scheduled combination air services; 

the U.S. Department of State; the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative (Europe), Office of the 

U.S. Trade Representative; the U.S. Department of Commerce; the Ambassador of Italy in 

Washington, D.C., and the Ambassador of the European Union in Washington, D.C. 

By: 

SUSAN L. KURLAND 

Assistant Secretary for 

 Aviation and International Affairs 

(SEAL) 

An electronic version of this document is available on the World Wide Web at: 

www.regulations.gov

 

3

 A copy of that letter has been placed in this docket.