Italy Airport Concessions Delayed, Including Catullo and D’Annunzio
The rumors circulating in recent days turned out to be overly optimistic: for Catullo in Villafranca – and by extension for D’Annunzio in Montichiari – the concessions will not be granted before a few months.
Therefore, the vote on the statutes of the new management company, which was scheduled for July 17 during the last Provincial Council before the holidays, will be postponed to a later date.
This was the indication that emerged yesterday in Verona during a meeting between Catullo President Fernando Sanson and representatives from Brescia: the Province President Alberto Cavalli, the Transport Councillor Vigilio Bettinsoli, and Guido Galperti, a board member of the same company managing Villafranca and Montichiari airports (absent due to being abroad, the President of the Chamber of Commerce Franco Bettoni).
Sanson essentially officially outlined to those from Brescia what was discussed at the Assoaeroporti assembly on Wednesday in Rome, which was also attended by Transport Minister Pierluigi Bersani.
“Except for five airports,” explains the provincial councillor Bettinsoli, “all the other Italian airports are awaiting the agreement with the Ministry of Transport and the Treasury, which will set out the guidelines for establishing individual concessions.
The minister requested more time, so both Catullo and D’Annunzio will have to wait a while.” This is a significant step that defines a new structure for the Italian airport system, establishing distinct roles for the various interested parties: on one side, the Ente Nazionale dell’Aviazione Civile (National Civil Aviation Authority), and on the other, airport companies tasked with comprehensive airport management.
For example, the oversight of baggage, previously handled by police forces, will fall under the responsibility of airport companies, imposing new duties on them.
“The final green light from Rome,” Bettinsoli further explains, “is a crucial element for confidently outlining the future corporate structure of the Brescia airport.” The renewal of the concession is fundamentally a prerequisite for initiating the spin-off of the Montichiari branch of the business, as well as for approving the new Statute and the new autonomous management company.
The three initial partners – Catullo, Province, and Chamber of Commerce – will then gradually be joined by a technical partner and other stakeholders, whether institutional or private.