Air Terminal - 2020 Year in Review

AIR TERMINAL

When people think of Sicily, they usually envision sleepy Italian villages, pasta dishes and vino to spare. And while we are blessed with all of those things and more, this year Sigonella once again demonstrated why our nickname is the “Hub of the Med.”

Over the last eight months, our little air terminal supported missions carrying 4,000 passengers per month on roughly 200 aircraft. Most air stations closed down during the global pandemic, and due to those closures, Sigonella’s air mission increased by 1800% as air traffic was rerouted through our terminal. This was a challenging year, and Team Sigonella pulled together to keep the mission moving forward, supporting U.S. Central Command and U.S. Africa Command.

In May and June, we supported the search and recovery efforts of a downed Canadian aircraft in the Mediterranean. NAS Sigonella provided the redeployment and recovery of 50 tons of salvage gear, and air terminal personnel worked long hours to provide support throughout the search and recovery efforts. Their efforts highlight the global partnership with which NAS Sigonella has become synonymous.

Our Sailors who work in the air cargo department also provided the necessary support for the $740 million U.S. Transportation Command Commercial Passenger Airlift Contract and the $216 million dollar Cargo Channel Contract. They oversaw all U.S. customs clearances and ensured all critical 6th Fleet cargo was prepped and loaded for air shipment in support of the warfighter and to ensure fleet mission success.

Our air terminal contractor, ALGESE, worked 24/7 to support every facet of the air terminal mission. Many host nation workers teleworked during the pandemic, but ALGESE employees showed up day in and day out to provide support to the military mission. We absolutely have been lucky to have them as a partner.

Most people know the USO is located in the air terminal, and although they are a separate entity from our air terminal, I would like to highlight the support they provided to passengers passing through Sigonella that most of the base will never know about. Through the midnight flights, the delayed missions, and the occasional COVID-19 overnight stays, USO was always there to provide support in the form of snacks, water, entertainment or just general morale boosting. They helped 4,000 passengers a months for eight months, which is quite the accomplishment. And at the heart of that support was Mr. Brian Coyle and his fantastic team. Bravo Zulu USO!

The air terminal was successful in 2020 thanks to the dynamic team we have across Sigonella. On-base lodging facilities, such as Navy Gateway Inns and Suites, kept aircrews in a sterile environment and created “clean corridors.” Security provided Sailors to assist with passenger control on the flight line. Public Works Department installed immediate COVID shielding. Our base leadership on both Italian and U.S. side forged a way through all the bureaucracy and restrictions to allow the mission to move forward. Navy Hospital provided healthcare professionals to screen each aircraft that entered or departed Sigonella.

In 2020 we also leaned on Emergency Management, who became the “honcho” for all things COVID. They assisted our air terminal by adding temporary shelters to provide space for up to 240 passengers per mission and tracking every soul that entered Sigonella for tracer action. I would like to think we could have done it without the support of these departments and many others, but we are happy we didn’t have to – we are all in this together.

As we go into the holiday season, it gives us a chance to review the year and get ourselves reset for the next. Things are slowing down in this time of year, but the work is far from over. We have a great team here at Sigonella and I am sure we can handle any challenges set before us. Wishing you all a festive Holiday Season and a happy New Year; ready for 2021!