Naples International Airport ( it, Aeroporto Internazionale di Napoli) is the intercontinental airport serving

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and the Southern Italian region of

Campania Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...

. According to 2019 data, the airport is the fifth-busiest airport in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and the busiest in

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

. The airport serves as a base for

easyJet EasyJet plc (styled as easyJet) is a British multinational low-cost airline group headquartered at London Luton Airport. It operates domestic and international scheduled services on 927 routes in more than 34 countries via its affiliate airli ...

Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish ultra low-cost carrier founded in 1984. It is headquartered in Swords, Dublin, Ireland and has its primary operational bases at Dublin and London Stansted airports. It forms the largest part of the Ryanair Holdings family ...

Volotea Volotea (stylised VOLOTEΛ) is a Spanish low-cost airline registered in Castrillón, Asturias, Spain, with bases in Spain, Italy, France and Greece. History Volotea was established by Alaeo S.L. from Barcelona, a company created by former Vue ...

and

Wizzair Wizz Air, legally incorporated as Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. ( hu, Wizz Air Hungary Légiközlekedési Zrt.) is a Hungarian ultra-low-cost carrier with its head office in Budapest, Hungary. The airline serves many cities across Europe, as well as s ...

. Located north-northeast of the city in the

San Pietro a Patierno San Pietro a Patierno is a suburb of Naples, the chief city in Campania, Italy. Geography It is one of the largest suburbs of Naples and is relatively lightly populated compared to surrounding areas, with around 20,000 residents. The district of ...

quarter of Naples, the airport is officially named ''Aeroporto di Napoli-Capodichino Ugo Niutta'', after decorated

WWI World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

pilot Ugo Niutta.

History

The district of

Capodichino San Pietro a Patierno is a suburb of Naples, the chief city in Campania, Italy. Geography It is one of the largest suburbs of Naples and is relatively lightly populated compared to surrounding areas, with around 20,000 residents. The district of ...

– in the area known as "Campo di Marte" – hosted the first flight exhibitions in Naples in 1910. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, "Campo di Marte" became a military airport in order to defend the town against Austro-Hungarian and German air attacks. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was used as a combat airfield by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

extensively during the Italian Campaign. The airfield was first used by RAF No. 324 Wing with its five squadrons of

Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

s in 1943. It was then used by the US

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...

which stationed the following units at the airport: 79th Fighter Group (January–May 1944, P-40 Warhawk/P-47 Thunderbolt); 47th Bombardment Group (March–April 1944, A-20 Havoc); 33d Fighter Group (April–May 1944,

P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...

), 332nd FG (15 Apr 44 - 28 Mar 44,

P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by the ...

). When the combat units moved out,

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

used the airport as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel for the remainder of the war. Commercial traffic started in 1950. In 1980, GE.S.A.C. ("Gestione Servizi Aeroporto Capodichino") was established to administer the airport; in 1982, it became "Gestione Servizi Aeroporti Campani" and participated in by the City Council, the province of Naples and Alitalia. In 1995 GE.S.A.C. drew up – with BAA assistance – a new master plan, which marked the beginning of a twenty-year development plan. After two years (1997), GE.S.A.C. was the first airport management company in Italy to be privatised: BAA acquires 70% of the share package from the City Council and Province of Naples. In 1998, the "Galleria Napoli" opened, a shopping arcade open 365 days a year inside Terminal 1. In 2002, Prince Charles inaugurated the new departure lounge. In June 2005, the airport's maiden transatlantic flight took off.

Eurofly Eurofly was a privately owned airline based in Milan, Italy. Listed on MTA Stock Exchange and controlled by Meridiana, it was Italy's leading carrier in the leisure flights market and mainly operated international, medium to long haul, point-t ...

began a seasonal service to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

using Airbus A330s. Afterward, the airline merged with Meridiana to create

Meridiana Fly Meridiana Fly S.p.A., operating as Meridiana (formerly named ''Meridiana S.p.A.''), was a privately owned Italian airline headquartered in Olbia with its main base at Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport. It operated scheduled and charter flights to do ...

, which started operating the route instead. In 2018, the carrier rebranded as

Air Italy Air Italy may refer to: *Air Italy (2005–2018) *Air Italy (2018–2020) Air Italy (registered as AIR ITALY S.p.A.) was a privately owned Italian airline, headquartered in Olbia, Sardinia. In 2019, the company was the second largest airline i ...

, and the flight to New York ceased. Nevertheless,

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

launched a link to

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

the following May; the service would operate every summer.

Facilities

The airport is class 4D ICAO and has the classification of military airport opened to commercial air traffic 24 hours/day. The airport management company is fully responsible for managing the airport and coordinating and control activities of all the private operators present in the airport. Capodichino hosts some aeronautical industrial activities like Atitech,

Alenia Aeronautica Alenia Aeronautica was an Italian aerospace company. Its subsidiaries included Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali. Alenia Aeronautica was also the part-owner of ATR, a joint venture with European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS ...

, Aeronavali, Tecnam Costruzioni Aeronautiche.

Terminal

The airport has one terminal building, Terminal 1 with airside sections A, B and C handling all domestic and international flights. The landside ground level features the check-in and arrivals areas while the upper level features the main departures area A with most shops. The airside ground level contains sections B and C, with the latter being used for non-Schengen departures. As the airport does not feature jet-bridges, buses (or in a few instances walk boarding) are in use. Several areas of the terminal have been refurbished and expanded in recent years.

Apron and runway

The airport has a single

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

(orientation: 06/24 – – resistance: PCN90/F/B/W/T – assistance: PAPI, ILS) in bituminous conglomerate and concrete, with one

taxiway A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports sometimes use gravel ...

. There is one apron with 29 stands, 9 of which are self-manoeuvring and the remaining are Push Back.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Naples Airport:

Statistics

Annual passenger statistics from 2000 through 2021: * 2000: 4,136,508 passengers (+13%) * 2001: 4,003,001 passengers (−3.2%) * 2002: 4,132,874 passengers (+3.2%) * 2003: 4,587,163 passengers (+11%) * 2004: 4,632,388 passengers (+1%) * 2005: 4,588,695 passengers (−0.9%) * 2006: 5,095,969 passengers (+11.1%) * 2007: 5,775,838 passengers (+13.3%) * 2008: 5,642,267 passengers (−2.3%) * 2009: 5,322,161 passengers (−5.7%) * 2010: 5,584,114 passengers (+4.9%) * 2011: 5,768,873 passengers (+3.3%) * 2012: 5,801,836 passengers (+0.6%) * 2013: 5,444,422 passengers (−6.2%) * 2014: 5,960,035 passengers (+9.5%) * 2015: 6,163,188 passengers (+3.4%) * 2016: 6,775,988 passengers (+9.9%) * 2017: 8,577,507 passengers (+26,6%) * 2018: 9,932,029 passengers (+15,8%) * 2019: 10,860,068 passengers (+9,3%) *2020: 2,779,946 passengers (-74,4%) *2021: 4,636,501 passengers (+66,8%)

Ground transportation

Car

Capodichino is easily accessible from all the city thanks to the exit of the so-called "Tangenziale", an urban highway (A56) connecting the city of Naples to metropolitan area and highways to Rome and Caserta (A1), Salerno (A3) and Bari, Benevento and Avellino (A16). Fixed taxi rates are in use for the main destinations within the city limits of Naples from Airport to: Naples Centre, Molo Beverello (Port), Mergellina (Hydrofoils to Capri and Ischia Islands).

Bus

Bus line 3S and Alibus, operated by ANM, connect the airport to Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Municipio. Distance airport/centre city is about . The airport is also connected to Avellino,

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

Caserta Caserta () is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial ''comune'' and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Camp ...

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana ra ...

, Salerno and Serre.

Metro

As of 2021, an extension to the existing Line 1 of

Naples Metro The Naples Metro ( it, Metropolitana di Napoli; nap, Metrupulitana 'e Napule) is the rapid transit system serving the city of Naples, Italy. The system comprises three underground rapid transit lines ( Line 1, Line 6 and the Naples-Aversa Me ...

is under construction to connect the airport with the current terminus at Naples' central station. After delays, it is expected to be finished by 2024.

Incidents and accidents

On 15 February 1958, a United States Air Force Douglas VC-47A Skytrain, ''42-93817'', c/n 13771, built as a C-47A-25-DK and upgraded, en route from its home base, Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, Germany, to

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, departed Capodichino Airport on a flight to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, with 16 servicemen aboard. Following a report 30 minutes after departure when the crew reported en route at 6500 feet and switching to the Rome ATC, nothing further was heard from the flight, which never contacted Rome, nor arrived in Greece. Dense fog over the

Ionian Sea The Ionian Sea ( el, Ιόνιο Πέλαγος, ''Iónio Pélagos'' ; it, Mar Ionio ; al, Deti Jon ) is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea. It is connected to the Adriatic Sea to the north, and is bounded by Southern Italy, including C ...

and mountainous southern Italy on 17 February greatly impeded search efforts for the missing aircraft. "U.S. authorities did not exclude the possibility the plane might have been forced down in Communist

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

." On 19 February 1958, the burned and scattered wreckage was found high on the rugged slope of

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of s ...

at the 3,800-foot level, about 200 feet below the top of the cone of the

volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

. A search plane first spotted the wreckage following "four days of fruitless ground, sea and air search impeded by fog, rain and snow." Patrols of U.S. servicemen, Italian soldiers and

carabinieri The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...

reached the crash site four hours after it was found, battling though heavy snow, but reported no survivors amongst the 16 on board. They stated that all had been identified. According to a 1958 Associated Press report, "a surgeon said death apparently was instantaneous." There were 15 Air Force officers and men from Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base, and one seaman of the USS ''Tripoli'' on board. The report stated that "officials declined to venture a theory on the cause of the crash except that the weather was bad and the pilot, Capt. Martin S. Schwartz of Ashland, Kentucky, had not previously flown from Capodichino field."

Use by U.S. military forces

U.S. military forces have been present on this site, primarily US Navy personnel, since 1951. Among two other facilities in Naples,

Naval Support Activity Naples Naval Support Activity Naples (NSA Naples) is a United States Navy military complex, located adjacent to Naples International Airport in Capodichino, Naples, Italy. The Activity is under Italian military control and can be managed anytime by Itali ...

is a tenant of several buildings in the Northwestern area of the airport. The United States Navy handles military and civilian aircraft on this airport for logistics. It is home to

U.S. Naval Forces Europe United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF), is the United States Navy component command of the United States European Command and United States Africa Command. Prior to 2020, NAVEUR-NAVAF was previously referred to as United States ...

and the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

References

External links

Official website
* * {{authority control Airports in Italy Transport in Naples Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command in the European Theater Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Italy Airports established in 1910