Malpensa, red zone stops flights: only 17 takeoffs in one day
The situation was not rosy even before, with announcements of frequency reductions and lounge closures, now with [...]
MXP
The situation was not rosy even before that, With announcements of frequency reductions and lounge closures, now with the establishment of the red zone throughout Lombardy, Italy's second-largest airport is reduced to its lowest level.
In this article:
Terminal 2 has been closed since this summer; flights depart only from one of the three satellites into which the airport is divided.
Stores closed, deserted gateways, and very few movements. Compared to March when all flights in the Milan area had been moved to Terminal 2 with the closure of Linate to concentrate the few flights at one airport, today both Milan airports are operating for a total of 49 movements, or less than 100 takeoffs and landings, those usually done in less than 2 hours at Malpensa alone.
The red zone has effectively shut down the resumption of traffic, as many companies are banning passengers from high-risk areas from boarding, such as on cruises.
In addition to the social problem with stores, eateries and all other businesses closed, there are hundreds of workers at home. Also affected by the crisis of course are taxi drivers as told In this report from the stopover.
Controversy also flares up here with Ryanair, which, unlike Easyjet, which just today changed its policy in terms of flexible tickets, refuses to reimburse passengers unable to fly due to new restrictions imposed by the latest DPCM. L'National Civil Aviation Authority has sent a letter to airlines operating flights to and from the territory of Italy regarding respect for the rights of passengers who cannot take advantage of airline tickets they have already purchased. "The companies," the body recalls, "have The obligation to reimburse passengers with scheduled flights On the airports located in these areas,which, for reasons beyond their control, cannot use the flight."
No crisis for the cargo sector at the moment; many carriers continue to maintain routes because the cargo holds are filled with cargo instead of passenger luggage.
Just today, in the presence of the Guardia di Finanza, officials from theCustoms and Monopolies Agency (ADM) on duty at Malpensa airport carried out the rapid customs clearance of 1,265 packages containing 790,625 SarsCov-2 diagnostic swabs, of Korean origin and provenance intended for the structure of the Extraordinary Commissioner for the implementation and coordination of measures to contain and combat the ongoing epidemiological emergency.
