Italy vows crackdown on airlines flouting new rules on ID checks

Local Italy

16-07-2025

New rules removing ID checks for passengers flying on domestic or Schengen-area flights were introduced last week as part of plans to speed up boarding procedures and reduce waiting times at Italian airports.
The new policy ended the requirement for people flying across Italy, or from Italy to another Schengen-area country, to show their passports or ID cards at the boarding gate.
The border-free Schengen area includes all EU member states except Ireland and Cyprus, as well as the four members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA): Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
ID checks remained in place for all flights headed to non-Schengen countries, including the US, Canada and the UK.
Though Italy's civil aviation authority (ENAC) said the new rules were 'effective immediately', passengers at multiple Italian airports have reportedly continued to face ID checks before boarding domestic or Schengen flights this week.
Reports of non-compliance at Italian airports have been met with anger by ENAC, with the authority vowing to crack down on airlines and boarding operators flouting the rules.
'This is an ENAC directive; companies don't get to decide what to do,' the authority's president, Pierluigi Di Palma, told Il Corriere della Sera.
Di Palma said that ENAC would conduct 'inspections' at airports around the country to ensure that carriers and boarding staff abide by the new rules.
"Those who fail to comply will be punished for disregarding the authority's orders,' he added, without specifying the exact nature of the sanctions.
ENAC's decision to remove ID checks on domestic and Schengen flights has drawn harsh criticism from Italian consumer groups in recent days.
Codacons said it was 'completely astonished' by the new rules, voicing concerns that they may 'allow passengers to use other people's boarding passes or board a plane while concealing their true identity."
Another Italian consumer group, Assoutenti, also expressed doubts over the new ID policy, citing 'an international context marked by growing concerns over security and the management of migration flows'.
'It is essential to ensure that the new practices do not compromise citizens' safety,' it added.
Despite criticism from consumer associations, Di Palma has defended the new rules, stressing that they will in no way affect airport security.
Air travel is a 'hyper-secure system' relying on 'safety 'filters', both visible and invisible,' he said.
ENAC's chief also noted that 'nothing will change in terms of security checks', with passengers still required to go through the existing screening procedures to enter the airport's boarding area.