Italy bans NGO planes from using airports close to migrant routes

FILE PHOTO: A boat with migrants approaches the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 16, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) - Italy said on Tuesday that planes used by charities to track migrant boats in difficulty would no longer be able to fly from airports on the islands of Sicily, Pantelleria and Lampedusa that are close to the shipping routes.

The decision, announced by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), will make it much harder for non-governmental groups like Sea Watch to use its small planes to scour the central Mediterranean for boats in need of rescue.