*Translated by Sara Pasino
MALPENSA – «It is clear that the influence of the extension is marginal if not positive». This is what emerged from the Airport Commission, convened to take stock of the simulations carried out by Arpa to evaluate the proposal of Enav to extend the schedules of night flights. And then improve the management of movements in Malpensa. The outcome of the evaluation concerns the experimentation introduced from June 1. Now is the time for a first assessment.
The background
The extension of night flight schedules is a scheme that the mayors of the CUV had opposed since the first announcements. To the point that the issue had also entered into the negotiations of the Masterplan, shifting for a moment the attention from the project of expansion of the airport.
The report of the last Commission says that the trial provides for these times: from 23.30 to 00.30 local take-offs for runway 17R and landings for the 35L, «without the possibility of granting derogations (except for weather, safety, security and delays)». And again: from 00.30 to 06.30 local take-offs for runway 17R and landings for the 35L, «with derogations allowed only for meteorological, safety and security reasons».
Turbigo loses out
A Commission was convened on 25 May, then the second meeting took place. With some preliminary considerations («with some exceptions»). As for the average number of daily flights, which «rose from 229 (January – May 2022) to 290 (June – July 2022)». Or that «from the first June, on average, in the time slot between the 23.30 and the 00.30, eight takeoffs in exception for runway 35L». In the same period «except for three days (10 June, for weather) no aircraft took off north beyond the scheduled times». Moreover, the new system of extensions «has been respected also in the more critical environmental conditions, with a single operating runway, or with external events that have influenced the operating scheme of the airport». The acoustic levels, compared to 2021, «are decreasing, except to the west where they remain well below 60 Lva».
A different situation presented itself in the area of Turbigo. In fact «they have recorded slightly increasing levels to south of the airport, mainly because of the increase in the number of planes landing». Finally, throughout the period, «the alternation of the tracks has been prolonged according to the scheme in force until 23.30, extending it to 00.30 with a reprogramming of maintenance interventions in the following time slots».
The next steps
After collecting these numbers the decision to have more «data relating to the trial for a reasonable period» has been taken. It will be for «at least 6 months». Therefore, the trial period has been extended until November 30 2022.
In addition, with the start of the winter season from October 30, «slots in the night will be allocated taking into account the limit set of 18 movements per hour». Among the actions undertaken by the airport manager we also find the «the introduction of a differentiated tariff scheme, which aims to penalise the noisiest aircrafts».