Montichiari Airport Expands Humanitarian Flights to Belarus and Romania

D’Annunzio will open Italy’s doors to Chernobyl children: starting from March 20 and throughout the spring and summer, approximately one hundred flights, with an average of two flights per week, will connect Montichiari Airport with the city of Minsk in Belarus. Montichiari Airport thus becomes the gateway for these journeys of hope and solidarity, which increasingly strengthen the bond between the stricken area affected by the nuclear power plant incident and the Brescia region, as well as all northern Italy in general (Brescia leads this humanitarian effort as the main hub for a broader zone extending to many regions).

In truth, the arrival of these aircraft—the airline that has signed the agreement with Catullo is Belavia (Belarusian Airlines)—is not entirely new for Montichiari Airport: connections with Belarus to transport Chernobyl children were also carried out last year, but at that time D’Annunzio served as the main operator, since Catullo was closed for runway renovation.

This year’s flights are instead an actual expansion of the Brescia airport’s activity. Also in March—presumably towards the end of the month—flights to Satu Mare, a location in Romania that attracts significant interest from Brescia entrepreneurs, are expected to begin.

At Fly Day, the tour operator from Bussolengo managing the link between Montichiari and Romania, officials remain cautious, stating that agreements are not yet finalized, but it is certain that at least one weekly flight will be scheduled. Concerning the airline used, information is conflicting: after initially mentioning Romanian company Grivco Air, it now appears negotiations have shifted to an Italian airline (among the most likely candidates is the Pugliese company Federico II).

Step by step, the Brescia airport is thus growing: “We are gradually confirming—states Guido Galperti, the Brescia-based councilor of the Catullo company—the projected plans: slow but steady growth, which demonstrates the soundness of the investment. The startup difficulties, following the exceptional period when we covered the Villafranca airport, were also anticipated in the plan. We are confident in continuing, albeit with the necessary gradual approach.”

Meanwhile, D’Annunzio closes February (marking the first year of activity) with a record traffic for the Brescia airport: nearly 6,300 transits, compared to 6,088 in January. On Sunday, the airport was particularly crowded: in addition to the 462 passengers departing for London and Manchester and the 332 arriving from those locations (106 from Manchester, the rest from London), there was also high passenger flow on flights to and from Rome.

Also in March, a project is expected to be ready for the creation of a dedicated management company, involving the transfer of the Brescia branch and an increase in capital.