Brescia Stakeholders Protest Management of D’Annunzio Airport at Catullo Assembly
The wind of “Brescian self-determination” is blowing strongly, with the Province and the Chamber of Commerce leading the way, regarding the future of the “Gabriele D’Annunzio” airport in Montichiari. The assembly of members approved yesterday the financial statements of Catullo spa, the company managing both the Brescia and Villafranca airports, but at the time of voting, the Brescia representatives – Province and Chamber of Commerce – left the room and did not participate in the votes.
The protest was triggered after the “disappointing responses from Catullo president” to comments made during the assembly by Franco Bettoni, president of the Chamber of Commerce, and Vigilio Bettinsoli, the provincial Transport Councillor of Province of Brescia. The main reason for not voting was disagreement over how Catullo handled the issue of the new management of the Montichiari airport.
Reactions and motivations of the protest
Two interventions were regarded by the authors as “decisive, straightforward, with nuances that well described the limit of endurance.” “We do not want to delve into the specifics of the financial statement, which seems positive to us,” said Bettoni, “but we want to express our deep disappointment over how the matter of the new management company of the D’Annunzio airport has been handled over the past year of promises, delays, and empty words.”
Promises included in a resolution that the Verona assembly approved by majority a year ago, which envisioned a new company for the “D’Annunzio” with 15% of shares to be subscribed by Brescia and the remaining 85% by Verona. However, since then, despite Brescia’s desire to sit around a table and discuss, no further meetings have been convened by Catullo of Verona.
Stakeholder requests and positions
“We can no longer accept those conditions,” Bettoni had already stated a week earlier. “We need to renegotiate everything, but with a very careful eye on the needs and self-determination of Brescia’s partners, and on the empathy that Brescia’s economy has for the territory where the airport is located, its entrepreneurial spirit, and the involvement of industrialists and trade associations. We have top companies and management firms from other airports ready to participate immediately, both financially and with projects ready to go.”
Franco Bettoni also judged “very disappointing” the response given during the assembly by Ferdinando Sanson, president of Catullo. Vigilio Bettinsoli (who has been in constant phone contact with the president of the Province, Alberto Cavalli), echoed Bettoni’s sentiments, criticizing “deep dissatisfaction with the Verona management’s operations,” while finding reassurance in the “reasons and balance” of the Brescians “shared by many other Catullo shareholders, foremost the Province of Verona, the city of Verona, and Mantua.”
Authorities’ reactions and future prospects
The Verona municipality also had some reservations about the financial statements and abstained from voting, perhaps indicating unresolved disputes in court against Catullo. Aleardo Merlin, president of the Province of Verona (who shares the presidency of the Serenissima highway with Alberto Cavalli, president of the Province of Brescia), immediately expressed support for Bettoni and Bettinsoli’s interventions.
“I hope,” Bettoni concluded, “that Merlin himself will call a meeting soon to facilitate the drafting of a good agreement for the D’Annunzio airport between Catullo and Brescia’s stakeholders. It’s time for words to turn into actions.” An urgent program agreement, aimed at establishing a “second large hub in northern Italy,” recently also supported by Roberto Formigoni, President of the Lombardy Region, and Giorgio Fossa, president of Sea, the company managing Malpensa and overseeing Sacbo in Orio al Serio.
