Trapani–Birgi Airport (IATA: TPS, ICAO: LICT) (Italian: Aeroporto Vincenzo Florio di Trapani-Birgi), is a military air base and public airport serving Trapani, in Sicily, Italy. Located between Trapani and Marsala, it is one of the five civil airports in Sicily. In 2023, 1,332,368 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third-busiest airport in Sicily.[3] The air base of the Aeronautica Militare in named after the aviator Livio Bassi. The civil airport is named after the Sicilian industrialist Vincenzo Florio Sr.
Trapani-Birgi Airport Aeroporto civile Vincenzo Florio Aeroporto militare Livio Bassi | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Military/public | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Trapani, Italy | ||||||||||||||
| Focus city for | AlbaStar | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 25 ft / 8 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°54′43″N 012°29′36″E / 37.91194°N 12.49333°E | ||||||||||||||
| Website | airgest.it | ||||||||||||||
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  TPS Location of the airport in Sicily | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||
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Overview
editThe airport is located 8 NM (15 km; 9.2 mi) south[1] of Trapani, and opened in the early 1960s. After a long period of inactivity the airport was relaunched by the Province of Trapani in 2003, and now hosts several flights, mainly low-cost connections.
History
editInaugurated in 1964 as a regional airport operating very few flights, Trapani–Birgi became even less important in the 1990s, during which only a flight to Pantelleria, Palermo and Rome was operated.
The airport was relaunched in 2003 by the Province of Trapani and grew in size after Ryanair started to use it as its main hub to Sicily, bringing several new international flights to and from Trapani. The airport has consequently been recognised as instrumental for the tourism-related economy of Western Sicily.
Italian Air Force
editThe military airfield, inaugurated in 1961, is named after the Italian aviator Livio Bassi. The airport is a base for the "37th Fighter Wing" of the Italian Air Force with the Eurofighter Typhoon, and for the "82nd CSAR" (Combat Search and Rescue) with the helicopters AgustaWestland AW139.[4]
The airfield is one of the four forward operating bases (FOBs) used by the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force based at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen in Geilenkirchen, Germany. The airport gained international attention during Operation Unified Protector in 2011 when NATO aircraft were based there during military intervention in the Libyan Civil War.
Airlines and destinations
editThe following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Trapani–Birgi Airport:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| DAT | Pantelleria |
| GoTo Fly | Forlì, Verona (begins 2 December 2024) |
| Ryanair | Bergamo, Bologna,[5] Malta, Naples, Pisa, Rome–Fiumicino,[6] Turin, Venice[7] Seasonal: Billund, Bordeaux, Bratislava, Charleroi, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Katowice, London–Stansted, Manchester, Milan–Malpensa, Pescara, Porto,[8] Riga, Seville, Toulouse, Warsaw–Modlin, Weeze |
Statistics
editGraphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. |
This table does not include passengers in transit. Ryanair discontinued most of its flights from Trapani airport in October 2017, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of passengers using the airport.[9]
| Year | Domestic passengers |
International passengers |
Total passengers |
Var % prev. year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 924,174 | 400,964 | 1,332,368 | |
| 2022 | 637,212 | 252,980 | 891,670 | |
| 2021 | 366,841 | 56,894 | 427,893 | |
| 2020 | 169,165 | 12,343 | 185,581 | |
| 2019 | 322,218 | 80,732 | 411,437 | |
| 2018 | 366,801 | 103,324 | 480,524 | |
| 2017 | 923,284 | 366,801 | 1,292,957 | |
| 2016 | 1,151,515 | 339,385 | 1,493,519 | |
| 2015 | 1,195,377 | 389,966 | 1,586,992 | |
| 2014 | 1,159,837 | 436,705 | 1,598,571 | |
| 2013 | 1,279,972 | 596,828 | 1,878,557 | |
| 2012[10] | 1,110,532 | 465,937 | 1,578,753 | |
| 2011 | 918,027 | 550,769 | 1,470,508 | |
| 2010 | 1,024,755 | 656,573 | 1,682,991 | |
| 2009 | 757,555 | 301,308 | 1,069,528 | |
| 2008 | 342,025 | 186,774 | 533,310 | |
| 2007 | 432,943 | 72,946 | 507,185 | |
| 2006 | 305,895 | 4,802 | 312,459 | |
| 2005 | 385,612 | 2,194 | 389,735 | |
| 2004 | 382,867 | 19,071 | 410,898 | |
| 2003 | 224,663 | 2,281 | 246,474 | |
| 2002 | 39,175 | 3,494 | 49,932 | |
| 2001 | 44,702 | 5,732 | 62,430 | |
| 2000 | n/a | n/a | 34,321 |
aData from Assaeroporti.[11] Figures from 2013 onwards from Airgest.it[12].
Transport
editIn 2023, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana announced plans for the construction of a new railway station to serve the airport on the Trapani-Castelvetrano-Palermo line.[13] The station, officially named "Vincenzo Florio", is expected to be operational by 2026, providing a direct 45-minute train link to Palermo Airport.[14]
| City | Bus company |
|---|---|
| Agrigento (180 km away) | Salvatore Lumia |
| Borizzo Airfield | Azienda Siciliana Trasporti(it)[15] |
| Castelvetrano | Salvatore Lumia |
| Marsala | Autoservizi Salemi, Azienda Siciliana Trasporti(it) |
| Mazara del Vallo | Azienda Siciliana Trasporti(it) |
| Menfi | Salvatore Lumia |
| Montallegro | Salvatore Lumia |
| Paceco | Azienda Siciliana Trasporti(it) |
| Palermo | Autoservizi Salemi, Terravision |
| Porto Empedocle | Salvatore Lumia |
| Realmonte | Salvatore Lumia |
| Ribera | Salvatore Lumia |
| Sciacca | Salvatore Lumia |
| Siculiana | Salvatore Lumia |
| Trapani | Azienda Siciliana Trasporti(it) |
See also
edit- Trapani–Milo Airport Luigi Broglio – first airport of Trapani, today used by the Italian Space Agency.
- Trapani–Chinisia Airport Livio Bassi – second airport of Trapani, open between 1949 and 1971.
- Catania Airport Vincenzo Bellini – Sicily's major international airport.
- Palermo Airport Falcone e Borsellino – also known as Punta Raisi Airport, another international airport in Sicily
- Comiso Airport Vincenzo Magliocco – it is another of Sicily's airports
References
edit- ^ a b "EAD Basic - Error Page".
- ^ "Dati di Traffico". Airgest (in Italian). 8 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Statistiche Dati di Traffico 2023 - Assaeroporti" (PDF). Assaeroporti. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Il portale dell'Aeronautica Militare - 37th Wing".
- ^ "Ryanair May – Oct 2023 Italy Frequency Variations – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes.
- ^ "Ryanair May – Oct 2023 Italy Frequency Variations – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes.
- ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA".
- ^ "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions Summary – 26MAR23". Aeroroutes.
- ^ "Adesso è ufficiale: Ryanair scarica Trapani". 27 February 2018.
- ^ "Aeroporto Trapani - sito ufficiale - Aeroporto Trapani-Birgi Vincenzo Florio - Airgest Dati di traffico". Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
- ^ Assaeroporti.it
- ^ "Dati di Traffico". Airgest (in Italian). 8 April 2024. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ "GRUPPO FS - RFI lancia gara per la nuova fermata "Vincenzo Florio"". www.rfi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
- ^ Tp24.it (29 December 2023). "Entro il 2026 la fermata - stazione dell'aeroporto di Birgi". TP24.it (in Italian). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "AST Spa – Struttura Territoriale Occidentale – Sede di Trapani – Orario Invernale". Azienda Siciliana Trasporti – www.aziendasicilianatrasporti.it. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
External links
edit Media related to Trapani-Birgi Airport at Wikimedia Commons