Italian FBO group Sky Services has broken a 40-year-old fuel monopoly at Milan Linate Airport. The independent company has faced protracted legal and bureaucratic battles to establish its right to handle business aircraft at Italian airports and has now defeated attempts by Milan airport authority ATA to prevent its selling fuel directly to business aircraft. Since the end of January, Sky Services has been able to sell fuel directly to its clients on the ramp.

Sky Services managing director Clemente de Rosa told AIN that it took him two years to win the right to sell fuel, despite the fact that European competition laws guarantee this. He said that even as his company started to serve customers with ExxonMobil fuel, ATA refueling trucks tried to physically intercept his crew on the ramp and offered free jet-A to aircraft operators.

Sky Services is now pushing for access to a new aircraft parking area at Naples Capodichino Airport. The area should be ready by next summer.