Italy pledges action on Rome airport

updated 2:12 p.m. ET Aug. 7, 2007

ROME - Italy's transport minister Tuesday promised a package of measures including extra staff to improve the chaotic baggage-handling system at Rome's main airport.

Thousands of bags of outbound travelers were left unloaded at the Leonardo da Vinci airport at the peak of the holiday season and arriving passengers had long waits to claim their baggage.

Since last week, newspapers have been filled with reports of angry travelers.

Though the situation was returning to normal, about 80 people will be added to the staff starting Wednesday to handle thousands of bags that have been sitting at the airport and need to be delivered, Transport Minister Alessandro Bianchi said.

"We do not expect miracles. In any case, I think that in this way we will avoid other particularly critical situations," Bianchi said at the end of an emergency meeting with aviation officials, including representatives from Aeroporti di Roma, which operates the airport.

Other measures include the continuous monitoring of the conveyor belts to avoid blockages that have been blamed for some of the delays, Bianchi said. The chaos was also pinned on an old handling system and lack of funds and personnel.

"We hope that with a more attentive and frequent surveillance such inefficiencies will no longer occur," he said.

Bianchi said authorities were looking at ways to unfreeze 60 million euros ($82.7 million) in funds for investment at the airport, which had been delayed.

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Bianchi also said that Aeroporti di Roma will have to come up with an investment plan for the airport by September.

The civil aviation authority, ENAC, sent a team of inspectors to the airport on Monday and called for a full investigation into the disruptions. Baggage handling is operated by outside companies.

Leonardo da Vinci is currently at its busiest, with some 110,000 passengers passing through the airport each day.

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