In any self-respecting war chessboard, first of all, airports must be occupied. It is the golden rule of any military strategy to conquer territories, markets and power. Getting your hands on the doors of the promised land is the beginning of every climb. Let alone what it means to grab an airport on an island, in the middle of the Mare Nostrum, a few miles from the African shore, many more from the Italian one. Defending the landing and take-off garrison for an economy that aspires to tourist development is, therefore, like safeguarding water and oxygen. Without those runways, without their control, one becomes a prisoner of distant logic and overseas business. Buying an airport means getting your hands on the development of a region, a territory, or a nerve center on the economic chessboard.

Porto Canale docet

Without going too far, a stone's throw from the Cagliari-Elmas track, Porto Canale was the dramatic testimony of this. Management totally delegated to a company engaged in other Italian and African ports, Contship, with a clear objective: to keep the Sardinian structure in check to favor those of La Spezia and Tangier in Morocco. Any geographical-logistic centrality vanishes if the interpreters have other objectives and above all other interests. In that case, let the Cagliari port die and take off the African and Ligurian ones, today at the top of all the growth rankings. For the airport of Cagliari, and in general for the airport structure of Sardinia, the scenario is one of large-scale encirclement, with the removal of the island and the Sardinians of the governance of one of the fundamental tools for development and economic growth.

House keys

Entrusting the house keys to subjects unrelated to the island's economy, and a thousand miles away from the general public interest, means no longer being the masters and decision makers of one's own future. On the shores of the Cagliari airport, lying on the Santa Gilla pond, the great maneuvers had long been underground, until the publication of our investigation with those documents that made official the landing in the corporate structure of the F2i airport, one of the most impressive companies of Italian financial savings management. Of course, F2i has just 0.209%, apparently insignificant, but which, precisely due to the impact of the subject, with assets under management of over 6 billion euros, constitutes the potential enclave with which to attempt the climb. Now that the secret and confidential plans are over, it is much more difficult to put a capital increase on paper in print. In light of the current regulations, not only is it not mandatory, not even to cover the losses of two million and 389 thousand euros, after the pandemic, but it would be very difficult to get explained and accepted by the supervisory bodies themselves.

Undue ploy

In short, there is no need for the majority share capital, that of the Cagliari-Oristano Chamber of Commerce, to ask the tiny-gigantic Milanese shareholder to cover any losses through a capital increase. It would be sufficient to reduce the company's capital (currently 13 million euros) by the consideration for the loss or draw on the substantial reserves, without having to open the main door at F2i, ready to climb the third airport in Sardinian sauce, after that of Alghero and of Olbia.

Holding objective

Alternatively, they could try the path of a holding company, coming out totally into the open, putting together the majority of the three airport companies, thus handing over the majority directly to F2i, able to govern all subsequent processes, up to the total climb to " ownership "of the airport system of Sardinia. In reality, however, the hidden and silent direction of this operation is not waiting for the definition of the corporate structure to get its hands on the airport of southern Sardinia. On the contrary. The internal chessboard at the Santa Gilla airport is well defined, with women and men unexpectedly positioned in the key points, all functional to the privatistic logic, and with double-stranded ties precisely with that shareholder who with 0.209% should not count for anything and who, instead, in fact, it controls everything.

The flying lady

It is an entirely banking, financial, power and many, many business escalation that are contained in a simple concept: Cagliari airport is the gateway to Sardinia and the capital city of the island. Everything is at stake, from relationships with airlines to real estate development. A red thread that materializes on 4 June 2020 when the president of the Cagliari Chamber of Commerce, Maurizio de Pascale, pronounces the names and surnames of the new board of directors. There is everything and more, but above all there is her, the flying lady, able to pass from the Presidency of Sardinia Gold Mining, the company of the gold disaster of Furtei, a position that has been active since 13 December 2008, to the very powerful role of director, from 21 April 2021, by none other than BPER, the People's Bank of Emilia Romagna which over the years, with the complicity of politics and more, has practically swallowed up the entire Banco di Sardegna, transforming it in a modest Emilian outbuilding.

From banks to grapes

For Monica Pilloni, the president of Cagliari airport, between a flight plan for the summer season and the accounts of the tortellini bank, there was no lack of direct relations with Sardeolica, the Saras wind company. of which he is statutory auditor still in office, up to the office of chairman of the Board of Directors and managing director of Saras Ricerche until 2007. Among the medals also the office of director of Banco di Sardegna, until June 2001, before the end of Sardinian management and the beginning of the whole Emilian one. In the palmares it should also be noted the office of effective auditor, until August 2009, of the agricultural company Cuccureddus specialized in "grape cultivation" owned by the owner of Tiscali Renato Soru, close to the beaches of Villasimius. Between airplanes, safes and grape plantations in that all-female assignment there is a mix that restores the key to the problem. Many assignments, but it is not known who really appointed her to guide the airport and above all with which mission.

Foundation & Bper

In 2020, it is no mystery for the Bank of Italy, the Fondazione di Sardegna, (a sort of philanthropic arm of what was once the Banco di Sardegna), "joined the capital increase launched by the Bper Conferitaria Bank by subscribing new newly issued Bper shares for a total of € 81,986,746 ”. In practice, a stake in the bank of Emilia Romagna "marginally higher than 10 per cent".

Funds & Foundation

Nor is it a secret that the Foundation of Sardinia appears as a “shareholder” within F2i. The national financial fund enters the share capital of the South Sardinia airport through F2i Ligantia, a company set up ad hoc to bring together, under the same umbrella, first the airports of Alghero and Olbia and now that of Cagliari. In this sort of airport holding company, capital and shares explain many things: F2i, the parent company, owns 79%, while the Foundation of Sardinia appears in the Ligantia shareholder structure, with 5% of shares. together with 11% of Global Infrastructure Solutions and another 5% fund, both managed by the American financial giant Blackrock Infrastructure.

The Senator of Heaven

The president of this very private holding, dedicated to Sardinian airport takeovers, is Roberto Barbieri, former senator of the Olive tree, who, at the same time, in order not to miss anything, also plays the role of president of the Board of Directors of "Geasar Spa", Olbia airport and the "So.Ge.A.Al - Spa" airport of Alghero. He does not even lack continental positions in his homeland: since 2017 he has been the CEO of the Società Gestione Servizi Aeroporti Campani Spa, obviously in everything and on behalf of F2i. He is the trait d'union for the Cagliari operation. Not a week goes by that some of the men from Ligantia don't make it to the Santa Gilla airport. For the presentation of the Volotea landing in Sardinian territorial continuity, with the CEOs of the Spanish airline, in the front row, all the men of F2i were lined up, from Olbia to Alghero, from Milan and Naples.

The hidden relationships

Present in advance, from the general manager Alberto Perini to Fabio Gallo, the administrator of the accounts of the Riviera del Corallo and beyond. In Cagliari, the financial leaders of the climber fund already have a prominent outpost with which they interface without ringing the phone: it is David Cragnoletti, commercial director of the Cagliari airport since 2016. He, already an F2i man in the governance of the Sea airport in Milan, knows them all and knows how to get around. The circle, however, is not closed.

The ascent of the commissioner

In the holding dedicated to the climb of the Sardinian airports, F2i Ligantia, an unpublished board member appears: the former regional councilor of the Democratic Party, precisely for Transport, Carlo Careddu, the successor of Massimo Deiana, who resigned shortly after the climb of F2i at Alghero airport. The undergrowth of this operation to conquer the intercontinental airport of Cagliari is, however, only at the beginning. A game with many extras and some puppeteers, all ready to target flying deals in the land of Sardinia.

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