Montichiari Airport Expansion: New Routes, Cargo Projects & Growth Outlook

The D’Annunzio Airport of Montichiari is gaining momentum, confidently so. The Venetian airline «Alpi Eagles», in fact, will begin operating from Monday with its Fokker 100s, establishing connections between Montichiari, Rome-Fiumicino, and Naples. The airline will add the Sardinian airport of Olbia starting from May 12. The official announcement was made by the key figures of the agreement: Fernando Sanson, president of Catullo spa (the Verona-based company managing the Garda airports in Verona-Villafranca and Montichiari), and Paolo Sinigaglia, president of Alpi Eagles (also overseeing the finance arm of the Veneto Region). They were present yesterday at the press conference held in the international departures hall of the Montichiari airport.

Expansion of routes and future projects

The news doesn’t only include the two daily flights to Rome and a single flight to Naples (with connections to Sicily). It has also been confirmed that there are plans to facilitate travel to New York and Atlanta in the United States via Rome, as well as to 32 European capitals through the major Basel hub operated by Cross Air.

“It’s like saying that from Brescia it takes less time to take off with a Fokker to Basel (a Swiss city on the border between France and Germany) than to drive (or even worse, take trains and shuttles) to the Malpensa airport hub.”

Both presidents expressed their satisfaction, highlighting that “this agreement demonstrates how committed we are to the growth of Brescia-Montichiari airport, which aims to reach 500,000 passengers annually within four years (by 2004). This is an achievement the Catullo of Verona-Villafranca reached only after 20 years.” However, yesterday’s discussions extended beyond passenger numbers to include freight and cargo center projects.

Projects and visuals in progress

“We are preparing a preliminary plan to convert the old hangars vacated by military operations into cargo storage facilities,” Sanson revealed. “To show we’re serious, two enormous Antonov 124 Russian aircraft will land on Brescia’s runways by the end of the month to pick up material from Verona.” The Antonovs will transport large equipment produced by Riello utensili in Canada. The Brescia-Montichiari airport will also see operations from the Brescia-based Six Cargo company.

Sanson further announced the upcoming appointment of a promotion and management officer to develop new market segments, reaffirming the airport’s growth commitment. Present at the press event were also the president of the Camera di commercio di Brescia, Franco Bettoni; the provincial transportation assessor, Vigilio Bettinsoli (both entities are shareholders of Catullo spa); the president of Assoaeroporti, Massimo Ferro; several managers from the Garda airports; and Montichiari’s mayor, Gianantonio Rosa, accompanied by councilor Elena Zanola.

Opinions and commitments

“We are interested in the development and growth of this airport,” emphasized Bettoni and Bettinsoli, “because the expectations of Brescia’s residents are huge, and the gates of the global market are wide open in front of us.” Their statement also expressed confidence in the Verona-based authorities, still grappling with internal disputes.

The Alpi Eagles first flight to Rome departs at 7:15 a.m. on Monday; the second at 6:30 p.m., with the Naples flight scheduled for 10:40 a.m. From Naples, connections to Palermo and Catania are available. A promotional fare valid until May 14 has been launched, offering a round-trip ticket at a discounted rate of 199,000 lire for both Rome and Naples.

The Alpi Eagles fleet consists of 8 Fokker 100s, state-of-the-art aircraft capable of flying under low visibility conditions, equipped with 94 seats and providing good passenger comfort.

Economic situation and future plans

During the meeting, some rumors emerged about the excellent financial health of Catullo, which is preparing to close the fiscal year with a pre-tax profit of approximately 10 billion lire. Additionally, news circulated that L’Enac (the Italian Civil Aviation Authority) is ready to grant the highly anticipated full management concession—initially for three years, with the possibility to extend for up to twenty or forty years based on the financial plan.