Catania–Fontanarossa Airport

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Catania–Fontanarossa Airport
Aeroporto di Catania-Fontanarossa
IATA: CTA – ICAO: LICC
CTA
Location of airport in Sicily
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator SAC
Location Catania
Focus city for
Elevation AMSL 39 ft / 12 m
Coordinates 37°28′00″N 15°03′50″E / 37.46667°N 15.06389°E / 37.46667; 15.06389 (Catania Vincenzo Bellini Airport)Coordinates: 37°28′00″N 15°03′50″E / 37.46667°N 15.06389°E / 37.46667; 15.06389 (Catania Vincenzo Bellini Airport)
Website aeroporto.catania.it
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
08/26 2,436 7,989 Asphalt
Statistics (2013)
Passengers 6,400,127
Passenger change 12–13 Increase +2.5%
Aircraft movements 54,406
Movements change 12–13 Decrease -0.6%
Source: Italian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1]
Statistics from Assaeroporti [2]

Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (Italian: Aeroporto di Catania-Fontanarossa Vincenzo Bellini) (IATA: CTA, ICAO: LICC) also named as Vincenzo Bellini Airport, is an international[3] airport located 2.3 NM (4.3 km; 2.6 mi) southwest[1] of Catania, the second largest city on the Italian island of Sicily. The airport is named after the great opera composer Vincenzo Bellini who was born in Catania. It is the busiest airport in Sicily and the 6th busiest in Italy with 6.400.127 passengers in 2013.[2]

History

Catania Airport's history dates back to 1924, when it was the region's very first airport. During World War II it was seized by the Allies during the Sicilian Campaign and used by the United States Army Air Forces as a military airfield. Twelfth Air Force used the airport as a combat airfield, stationing the 340th Bombardment Group, which flew B-25 Mitchells from 27 Aug to 19 Nov 1943. In addition, the HQ, 51st Troop Carrier Wing used the airport from 29 Sep 1943 to 29 Jun 1944. Various transport units used the airport for the rest of the war, afterward it was turned back over to civil authorities.[4]

By the late 1940s, it was clear that the airport was fast running out of space and it was deemed necessary to relocate and in 1950, the new bigger and improved Catania Airport opened for business.

After 20 years of unexpected growth and high passengers levels, in 1981 it was once again necessary to restructure the airport to cope with demand. In order to cope with the increasing passengers figures, a new terminal, equipped with 22 gates and 6 loading bridges, opened on May 8, 2007 replacing the old facilities.

Ryanair started to fly to Catania in 2013 but announced only one route to Catania while also starting operations with 3 routes to Comiso Airport, a newly opened in 2013 Airport only a few km to the south of Catania.[5]

Security and controls

Check-in area
Travel Service Airlines Boeing 737-800 in Catania

SAC SECURITY provides all the compulsory security and inspection services at the airport. In particular, it handles security and inspection/controls for departing and transiting passengers, enforces hand-baggage limits at the departure gates, and all other inspections/controls required by the airport authorities.

Airlines and destinations

Major airlines such as Alitalia, Lufthansa and Air Berlin offer services here and connect numerous European destinations such as Munich, Rome and Berlin, while domestic airlines, as Air One and Meridiana, offer extensive flights to many of the regions major destinations. The current "investment programme" has ensured that Catania Fontanarossa Airport continues to look forward and plan for growth over the next ten years, implementing a whole new infrastructure and making many additions, including a panoramic restaurant, a new airside runway and further office space.

Scheduled

Airlines Destinations
Aer Lingus Seasonal: Dublin
Air Berlin Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Zurich
Seasonal: Basel/Mulhouse
Air Malta Malta, Munich
Air One Amsterdam (begins 6 April 2014), Berlin-Tegel (begins 2 April 2014), Bologna (begins 31 March 2014), Düsseldorf (begins 1 April 2014), Genoa (begins 31 March 2014), London-Gatwick (begins 31 March 2014), Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Orly (begins 2 April 2014), Pisa, Prague (begins 5 April 2014), Stuttgart (begins 3 April 2014), Turin, Venice-Marco Polo, Verona, Vienna (begins 1 April 2014)
Seasonal: Lyon [begins 18 April 2014], Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Rostov-on-Don[6] St Petersburg
Alitalia Bologna (ends 30 March 2014), Milan-Linate, Rome-Fiumicino
Alitalia
operated by Alitalia CityLiner 		Genoa (ends 30 March 2014), Naples, Trieste
Austrian Airlines
operated by Tyrolean Airways 		Seasonal: Vienna
Blue Air Bucharest
Blu-express
operated by Blue Panorama Airlines 		Bari, Rome-Fiumicino
British Airways Seasonal: London-Gatwick
Brussels Airlines Seasonal: Brussels
easyJet Hamburg (begins 1 April 2014), London-Gatwick, London-Luton (begins 30 March 2014), Manchester (begins 30 March 2014), Milan-Malpensa, Naples (begins 30 March 2014), Paris-Charles de Gaulle
easyJet Switzerland Geneva
Seasonal: Basel/Mulhouse
Etihad Regional
operated by Avanti Air		 Lampedusa
Germanwings Berlin-Tegel, Cologne/Bonn, Hamburg, Stuttgart
Seasonal: Hanover
Germanwings
operated by Eurowings 		Seasonal: Düsseldorf (begins 30 March 2014)
Helvetic Airways Seasonal: Berne
Jetairfly Seasonal: Brussels
Lufthansa Munich
Luxair Seasonal: Luxembourg
Meridiana Bologna, Milan-Linate, Naples, Rome-Fiumicino, Turin, Verona
Seasonal: Olbia
Mistral Air Seasonal: Mostar, Zakynthos
Norwegian Air Shuttle Seasonal: London-Gatwick, Copenhagen, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda (begins 4 April 2014)
Ryanair Bergamo, Bologna, Eindhoven (begins 1 April 2014), Madrid (begins 1 April 2014), Marseille (begins 4 April 2014), Rome-Fiumicino, Treviso, Turin
SmartWings
operated by Travel Service Airlines 		Seasonal: Prague
Swiss International Air Lines Seasonal: Geneva, Zürich
Transavia Seasonal: Amsterdam
Transavia.com France Seasonal: Paris-Orly
Travel Service Polska Seasonal Charter: Warsaw-Chopin
Trawel Fly
operated by Mistral Air 		Seasonal: Bergamo
Volotea Ancona, Florence, Genoa, Venice-Marco Polo
VuelingBarcelona, Florence, Rome-Fiumicino (begins 11 May 2014)[7]
Wizz Air Bucharest, Budapest
XL Airways France Seasonal: Paris-Charles de Gaulle

Charter

Airlines Destinations
Air Serbia Seasonal: Belgrade
Finnair Seasonal: Helsinki
Malmö Aviation Seasonal: Copenhagen
Mistral Air Sharm el-Sheikh, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion
Neos Seasonal: Dubai World Central, Heraklion
Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium Seasonal Charter: Brussels
Thomson Airways Seasonal: Birmingham (begins 25 May 2014), London-Gatwick, Manchester
TUIfly Nordic Seasonal: Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo-Gardermoen, Stockholm-Arlanda

Ground transportation

The airport is conveniently located close to the A19 motorway, which links Catania with Palermo and central Sicily, while the European route E45 runs to Syracuse in the south. A shuttle bus service provides transport into Catania city centre and the Central Train Station, while scheduled bus services to other parts of the island are also available direct from the airport. Passengers requiring a more comfortable ride can take a taxi from the terminal building into the city or beyond, with popular locations including nearby Syracuse, Taormina, and the westerly resorts of Palermo and Marsala.

See also

  • Palermo Airport Falcone e Borsellino – also known as Punta Raisi Airport, another of Sicily's international airports
  • Trapani Birgi Airport Vincenzo Florio – another of Sicily's international airports
  • Comiso Airport Vincenzo Magliocco – another of Sicily's international airports

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 EAD Basic
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Associazione Italiana Gestori Aeroportuali
  3. ↑ airports-guides.com
  4. ↑ Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
  5. ↑ Ryanair Announce Comiso January 2013
  6. ↑ Air One S13 new routes
  7. ↑ Vueling open 24 new routes from Rome

External links

Media related to Catania–Fontanarossa Airport at Wikimedia Commons

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