Catania airport opens temporary terminal, but stop to non-Schengen flights continues
Slightly improving situation at Catania Airport, despite struggling to close the post-fire emergency phase at the Terminal [...]
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Slightly improving situation at theCatania airport, despite struggling to close the post-fire emergency phase at Terminal A (which occurred last July 16).
How the Interim Terminal works
It is scheduled for tomorrow morning, August 3, 2023, the opening of the Temporary Terminal set up by Sac-the company that manages the Sicilian airport-and the Air Force.
The Terminal - located between Fontanarossa's Terinal B and C - consists of an additional 500-square-meter tent (in addition to the one set up last week) where the Stages of check-in, security checks and boarding.
"The facility is equipped with radiogenic equipment for the checked-in luggage and a security gate for passengers and carry-on baggage," the Sac note points out. "In these, the installation of monitors and the preparation of check-in stations and gates, as well as waiting areas, is being completed.
More flights, but not non-Schengen
At the same time, Catania airport Will increase the number of flights that will increase from 10 to 14 per hour (between arrivals and departures). The airport is therefore still far from full operation, which usually guarantees 21 flights per hour.
Extra-Schengen connections from Catania airport, however, still remain suspended. Flights are sacrificed (or diverted to other Sicilian airports) to the United Kingdom (easyJet to Jet2), Riyadh and Tel Aviv (Wizz Air), Cairo and Luxor (Air Cairo), Dubai (flydubai), Casablanca (Ryanair) and Istanbul (Turkish).
The operational difficulties
In the meantime, however, there continue to be numerous delays and cancellationsi for flights heading to or departing from Fontanarossa, and long queues of waiting passengers are also reported at every stage of the pre-trip process. Sac's own management company has issued an appeal to travelers who need to get to the airport.
"Kind passengers with scheduled flights departing from Terminal C of Catania Airport are kindly requested to arrive no later than 3 hours before the scheduled departure time to avoid overcrowding in the Terminal. Thank you for your cooperation," the company wrote on its social profiles.
Shuttle buses continue
The numerous testimonies of queues, inconveniences and inefficiencies-reported by Italian and local newspapers-were answered by Sac's own CEO, Nico Torrisi.
"The airport community is going out of its way to help anyone," Torrisi said when interviewed by Il Evening Courier - We provide free water, make dozens of people available to provide the information, and pay out of pocket for the 71 buses covering daily routes with Comiso, Trapani and Palermo".
Despite the increase in flights to Catania, in fact, the "diversion of ex-Catania flights to other Sicilian airports continues. According to data as of July 31, on the 40,000 passengers expected before the fire, 18,500 transited in Catania (less than half). Comiso hosted 7,500 passengers; while the others transited through Palermo and Trapani (others, however, suito the flight cancellation, and they are not few, ed.).
Palermo does not activate staggered entrances
On the other side of the island, in Palermo, on the other hand, the emergency phase triggered by the mix of a fire that licked the perimeter of the Falcone-Borsellino airport and overcrowding due to the addition of ex-Catania passengers seems to have been fully resolved.
Palermo Airport has backtracked by announcing that it will no longer be necessary to introduce the rule of the staggered boarding hall entrances. The measure was to go into effect last August 1.
Thus the new rule that would have allowed travelers to enter the boarding hall "no earlier than two hours for Schengen flights and three hours for non-Schengen flights. will no longer be applied, because the requirements for staggering admissions have ceased to exist," points out the note from Gesap, the company that manages the Sicilian airport.
New aircraft to address overcrowding
Indeed, Palermo Airport is expanding its service areas within the Terminals: on July 31, some 300 square meters of floor space and a single front for security checks; a new 400-square-meter departure lounge of part of the airside forepart on the third level will then open by August 15.
Finally, Gesap announces that between the 4 and the August 7 will also open two new commercial areas, La Braciera pizzeria and Palermo-Martini Terrace. 150 new white seats have already been placed and have been in operation for a couple of weeks two new elevators In departure rooms with a capacity of 22 people.
Finally, according to the management company, "meanwhile, five new charging units have already been installed for cell phones and tablets: there are 40 points where devices can be connected. Already opened new restrooms on the check-in floor and operating the third new pier Of the seven on the program."
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