The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)

Northern Italy in the fog

The Padanian plain of Northern Italy, a densely populated and highly developerd area, is frequently plagued by heavy fog during the winter months, making road and air traffic very difficult. To cope with this long-standing problem, mid October, the Malpensa airport office of ENAC (Ente Nazionale dell'Aviazione Civile), the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, organized a meeting to discuss an improved operational procedure to manage diverted flights, when bad weather conditions hit one or more airports. In particular, the main topic for discussion was the alternate destination for the flights diverted from Malpensa airport, the busiest in the area. The meeting was attended by the airport management agencies of Bergamo/Orio al Serio, Brescia/Montichiari, Genoa/Sestri, Milan/Linate, Malpensa and Turin/Caselle. The latter airport agency SAGAT, formally asked to include the nearby Cuneo/Levaldigi airport in the study.

The new procedure, still under definition, will be based on the real-time monitoring of the capacity offered by the various airports: this type of information is considered a priority when diversions are required. To this end, a situation-room will be set up by SEA, the management agency of Malpensa and Linate airports. ENAC will also provide detailed capacity data regarding the airports of the area, including seasonal and daily variations.

For the airports of North-western Italy, the forthcoming agreement will represent a significant collaborative step. The planned distribution of the diverted flights will offer less congested traffic, improved safety and, last but not least, better service to the passengers.

In the picture: Ilyushin Il-62 OK EBG "Banska Bystrica" of CSA calls Malpensa airport, in a foggy day of November 1975. (Aeromedia)

(Aeromedia, November 2002)