Fly migrants from Catania to Madrid says Open Arms

(ANSA) - Lampedusa, August 19 - Spanish migrant rescue NGO Open Arms on Monday suggested flying the 130 migrants aboard its rescue ship off Lampedusa from Catania to Madrid.
    "To give the rescued migrants dignity they could transfer them to Catania and from there take them to Madrid by plane," said Open Arms President Riccardo Gatti.
    Gatti was speaking to journalists in the port of Lampedusa.
    "Hiring a Boeing for 200 people comes to 240 euros per passenger," he said.
    "The Acquarius solution, last year, for a coast guard ship cost 250,000 euros while the expenditure for the other ship was not even known".
    Open Arms earlier said Italy and Spain should respect a reported deal and take the migrants to the safe port of Majorca.
    European Commission spokeswoman Natasha Bertaud called Monday for a solution to the two-week Open Arms NGO migrant rescue ship standoff with Italy to enable an immediate landing of the 130 or so migrants.
    "We appeal to member States and NGOs to collaborate to find a solution that works and permits an immediate disembarkation of the people on board", she said.
    She stressed, however, that the EC does not have competence regarding landing ports.
    Bertaud also said that Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos had contacted member States in the last few days also about another NGO run migrant rescue ships, the Ocean Viking of SOS Mediterranée and Doctors without Borders, which has 356 migrants aboard.
    Like the Open Arms, it has been banned from Italy's ports by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the far-right anti-migrant League party.