Brescia Airport (VBS)

Brescia Airport is also commonly referred to as Montichiari, due to its location in this area, and lies 20 km from the city centre. This airport in Italy handles mainly cargo and low-cost passenger flights, and is a very small. Its counterpart, Verona Villafranca, is a bit larger, and is a more popular destination, even though very cheap flights are offered. It has the official codes of VBS (IATA), and its ICAO code is listed as LIPO.

Although Brescia is not really listed on the main tourist trail, there are some interesting aspects, and many good holiday destinations within easy reach of the city. Lake Garda is nearby, as well as the quieter Lake Iseo. Verona is only 60 km away and is very popular city for tourism. Bergamo is 50 km from Brescia airport, while Mantova and Cremona can be reached in just a short car journey. Slightly further areas include Milan – 120 km, Trento – 160 km, Rovigo – 150 km, Vicenza – 121 km, Parma – 115 km, Padova – 152 km, Modena 160 km and Bolzano, which is approximately 210 km away. There are relatively good bus services as well as taxis and a few rental car companies.

Airline companies in operation mainly include the low-cost giant of Ryanair, which offers daily flights to London-Stansted, as well as Cagliari. The flight to London takes just under two hours, and lovely views of the lakes can be enjoyed as the plane takes off. A few more local destinations are also served, with new domestic and international routes currently being defined. There may be new connections with the Balkan area, and to other popular tourist destinations such as Sardinia and Costa Azzurra. Around 200,000 passengers pass through the airport each year.

The airport is operated by the management company of ‘Aeroporto Gabriele d’Annunzio SpA’. This company was established in June 2002. Brescia Airport is also quite often referred to as Gabriele d’Annunzio, after an Italian nationalist and poet. This airport, as well as Verona's are both part of the Sistema Aeroportuale del Garda, and are considered to an important airliner traffic system for Italy, and both actively contribute to the economic, social an cultural development of their area. The president is Ugo Gussalli Beretta, a businessman nominated by the Brescia Chamber of Commerce and the Verona Catullo SpA. Shareholders include the Aeroporto Valerio Catullo, with 99.9935%, and the Province of Brescia, with 0.0056%. The physical address is Via Aeroporto 34, 250 Montichiari – Brescia, and can be reached at the telephone number of +39 030 2041599, or the fax number is +39 030 96556514.

This little airport in Italy is important in terms of cargo transportation. In early 2011, various upgrades to its cargo facilities will be completed. A new 3,500 square meter building will lie alongside the existing edifice, and will be used as a stocking warehouse that will be suitable for a variety of products. There will also be a tent warehouse of around 1,700 square meters used mostly for postal activity, and another 1,100 square meter building specifically for special loading purposes. Some of these facilities may even already be in use. The airport is the Italian Hub for Poste Italiane, with 32,000 tons handled in 2009. This was an increase in production by 2.7% from 2008. The Cargo carriers of Lufthansa Cargo and Jade recently started their cargo operations as well. In past times, Ocean Airlines were operating cargo services. They began in November 2004, and were owned by Finrep, Ined Holdings and ITAL Aviation, flying to destinations such as Angola, China, Japan, Pakistan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. However, they suspended their services in April 2008, due to their halted flights since October 2007.

Brescia airport consists of a single terminal building and one asphalt runway, 24 aircraft stands and four car-parking areas. The runway has a length of 2990m, and is 45m wide. The terminal building is equipped with various facilities, including a bank and ATM, Lost and Found services, an information point and a VIP Lounge. This lounge is called the D’Annunzio VIP Lounge and is open from 07:00 to 23:00. It is used by business travelers and frequent flyers, and includes complimentary refreshments, television, a free fax service and other facilities. It is equipped for the needs of disabled passengers with reserved parking spaces, disabled toilets and lifts for boarding on certain aircrafts. A special telephone is available for hearing impaired individuals, and a ‘tactile’ path assists visually impaired travellers. The terminal is smart and modern, and also offers a few shops and restaurants.

The friendly staff will be happy to assist you with any further enquiries from the information point in the terminal building.

The IATA 3 Letter code is VBS. Brescia Airport is otherwise known as is Montichiari. The GPS location for is – 45.42889, 10.33056 which you can enter into your Smartphone/I phone to enable you to find your way to and from Montichiari.

You can see below selection of flight time’s destinations and which Airlines fly.