Montichiari Airport Poised to Become Northern Italy’s Second Hub
“Montichiari Airport is ready to take off.” The director of Gabriele D’Annunzio confirms the results of the Irer study: we will become the other Malpensa of Northern Italy.
Current situation of the airport and Irer study results
OUR CORRESPONDENT MONTICHIARI (Brescia) – “Brescia caput mundi” (Brescia, the capital of the world): entering the Gabriele D’Annunzio airport in Montichiari, seven kilometers from the A4 motorway exit, one encounters a sign inviting travelers to visit the artistic treasures of the city, but at the same time, it clarifies how the residents of Brescia see the world.
There is excitement among airport staff after the news that the Irer study on the Lombard airport system, commissioned by the Pirellone (Italian Lombardy Regional Government), has named D’Annunzio as the second hub of Northern Italy.
“We are ready,” explains Antonio Realdi, operations director of the airport. “Today, about a thousand passengers pass through daily with 12 flights, but we already know how to develop ourselves. We are not afraid to reach two million travelers per year.”
Characteristics and development of the airport
Upon arriving at the Brescia airport, one thing immediately stands out: it is surrounded by fields (or, if you prefer, is immersed in greenery); the closest towns are Montichiari and Castenedolo, both seven kilometers away.
“This means,” continues Realdi, “that there is plenty of space to grow. Parallel to the 3,200-meter runway, there is a taxiway just as long and wide 45 meters: it could become the second runway.”
Inside the terminal, there are the arrivals and departures areas, a bank counter, a newsagent, a bar: all simple, efficient, and, above all, new (it was inaugurated in March 1999, after seven months of work and an investment of 44 billion lire).
“Here,” Realdi continues, pointing to a photo showing pioneering aircraft, “the airplanes started taking off in 1909; in 1940, the Germans connected this runway to that of Ghedi, three kilometers away, creating an airport complex.
After the war, the area remained in military hands until 1998 when it was transferred to the Ministry of Industry, which leased it to the Catullo company. Today, this company manages both Montichiari and Verona airports.”
The D’Annunzio employs about one hundred people. Every day, six flights arrive and depart for Rome and two connections to London.
Additionally, weekly, beyond charter flights, two or three flights arrive from Minsk, Belarus: they bring children with illnesses caused by the radioactive fallout from Chernobyl, and for about a month, they stay as guests with Lombard families.
Potentialities and prospects of the airport
“The Irer study,” reports Giuseppe Nuvolari, general director of Catullo, “confirms what we predicted years ago: Montichiari serves four provinces and has the potential to become the second hub of Northern Italy.”
The development of the Brescia airport is weighed down by the small mystery regarding the concession of use granted by the Ministry of Transport to Catullo: as with other Italian airports, the D’Annunzio concession expires at the end of the year, and at the moment, it seems that the current Verona-based managers have only received verbal assurances.
“An Italian anomaly,” concludes Nuvolari, “it’s clear that given the investment made, we expect to be given the opportunity to make it profitable.”
“We hope it will grow,” says Amalia Ferrari, owner of the tobacco and newspapers shop inside the terminal. “We have already prepared to increase our workload; now we are just waiting.”
Martino Spadari