Msc airlift kicks off to bring 563 compatriots back to Italia
The first flight left Dubai late for Bergamo. Flight to Rome postponed until Friday morning
"After 12 noon local time, the first direct flight to Orio al Serio airport in Bergamo, organised by Msc Crociere to bring back to Italia the passengers embarked on the Msc Euribia docked in the Emirati port," Luca Valentini, commercial director of Msc Crociere, explains to Sole-24 Ore. Thus begins the airlift to bring back to Italia the 563 Italian passengers, Rome Fiumicino will be the other arrival port. The first two flights will bring back about 350 compatriots, but the situation is complex. Operations at Dubai airport are reduced, with take-off slots every 10-20 minutes, and delays follow one another. At 3.04 p.m. local time, for example, a FlyDubai flight to Bergamo departed, while the departure of Msc cruise passengers to Rome was postponed to Friday morning with departure from Dubai and no longer from Abu Dhabi as originally planned.
"The company is working to bring all other customers back on board to Europe," the director continues. It has also been decided to cancel the next three Euribia cruises, a stop that will last until the end of March'. Five flights have been planned and thus one thousand guests of the Euribia should leave the region by Saturday. Another priority is to secure the embarked crew while operationally the company is deciding whether to keep the ship in the port of Dubai until the situation normalises. In the summer season the Euribia will be operating in the North Sea.
