"Alitalia1651 Brindisi tower good evening to you, in sight, 31 runway cleared to land, wind 050 degrees 6 knots ..."
It is the last instruction from the AM tower controller who, at 00: 01 of 10: 00 December, leaves the service authorizing the Alitalia aircraft from Linate to land at the 31 runway.
So much emotion and shining eyes among the military flight controllers of the Brindisi Air Force airport detachment, who dismount from their last shift and leave the station, definitively giving up "headphones and microphone" to Enav's colleagues, who will manage numerous movements a day in a CTR characterized by a mix of commercial and military traffic, given the presence of the nearby airport of Galatina (LE) and the airports of Gioia del Colle and Amendola which often use the Brindisi airport as an alternate airport.
Embraces, emotional glances, and words of encouragement from the controllers who take turns at the control tower of Brindisi, where a moment before a non-commissioned officer of the Air Force carried out the coordinations for the landing of an Alitalia flight.
The transit of the "SNA", which took place in Brindisi, stems from the transit plan for those airports that were previously military and now become civilians, as per the decree of the 11 defense Ministry in September 2008, which identified some military airports not more of strategic interest for the Defense, favoring the natural evolution of some military airports with a marked propensity to civil transport.
The takeover by the Air Force in the provision of air navigation services - preceded by a complex technical-formal procedure - took place in absolute safety and without interruption, thanks to the training activity carried out by the air traffic controllers of ENAV - already in possession of equal authorization - they carried out in the months that preceded the transit, flanking the military personnel of the Air Force of the Messapic Detachment.
The transition came at the end of a delicate preparatory phase, during which all the technical, operational and state-owned issues were examined in depth. This phase led to the prior signing of the "Transit Operating Plan" which detailed the actual methods of transit.
The AM, through the airport detachment, will continue to provide the meteorological service and take care of the running and maintenance of some services, up to the complete adaptation of the technological systems by ENAV.
The ratification of the SNA transit took place during a sober ceremony in the presence of the chief general of the USAM, Air Brigadier General Roberto Cattaneo, with the signing of the conventional acts by Colonel Giancarlo Gambaredella, representing theDefense Administration - GENIODIFE, of the general manager of theNational Flight Assistance Organization (ENAV), dott. Massimo Bellizzi and the commander of the detachment, Colonel Luca Bianciardi.
Also present were Dr. Giuseppe Acierno, managing director of Aeroporti di Puglia (Adp) and the central director airport and airspace infrastructure dell 'National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), dr. Roberto Vergari.
