May 22, 2023, 4:39 p.m.
2′ OF READING
“It was a very tough test, but the structure and organization of the services of the Palermo airport well resisted the unexpected arrival of 29 diverted flights from the Catania airport, which had been closed since early yesterday, after the eruption of Mount Etna and the subsequent lava ash fall. This was stated by Vito Riggio, managing director of Gesap, the management company of the international airport of Palermo “Falcone Borsellino”, following the emergency caused by the eruption of Mount Etna.
“I am especially grateful to all the staff in the terminal area, the apron, but also the handlers, the bodies present at the airport, the police forces, customs, Autogrill for restaurants, taxi drivers and point personnel. of information. – said Riggio – They are the protagonists who have allowed us to face the difficult day in the best possible way. There are those who stayed at work even after the end of the shift and many others, on vacation or rest, were called in to manage the sudden emergency in the best possible way. The response was strong.”
29 flights were diverted to Palermo from Catania, which added to the 170 flights scheduled yesterday at the airport. 50 buses are used to transport around 4,000 passengers from Palermo to Catania. GH Palermo managed 22 of the 27 commercial flights, the rest of the movements were assisted by Aviapartner. About 30,000 passengers passed through the airport yesterday.
“The airport has responded well to the emergency, guaranteeing all services and demonstrating that it can efficiently handle large flows of passengers – says the general manager and responsible person in charge of Gesap Natale Chieppa – About 50 buses have been mobilized, but inevitably yes involved moving around 4000 people, some had to wait hours for the means of transport to return from Catania.In the coming days -announces the director- we will discuss with ENAC the possibility of implementing an integrated transport management plan in these emergency cases or crisis”.
“Just in these days – concludes Chieppa – a plan has been drawn up to improve the organization of work in the terminal, in anticipation of the intense traffic that we will register from June, when we will reach peaks of 220 daily flights and more than 30,000 passengers” .
