The Toblach Airport lies approximately 1 km to the South of the village of

Toblach Toblach (; it, Dobbiaco ) is a ''comune''/''Gemeinde'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located in the Puster Valley about northeast of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria. Geography As of November 30, 2010, it had ...

and is Italy's northernmost and highest airport. The military airfield has a 700m long and 50m wide grass runway and is managed by the

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

's Airport Detachment Toblach. On weekends and holidays from May to October the airport is open for civilian traffic.

History

The airfield was constructed in 1915 by the

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops The Austro-Hungarian Aviation Troops or Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (german: Kaiserliche und Königliche Luftfahrtruppen or , hu, Császári és Királyi Légjárócsapatok) were the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the e ...

during

World War I 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 ...

as a base close to the Italian front. In 1938, the Royal Italian Air Force acquired the airfield and began to use it as a training location for winter flights and winter survival courses. After

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 ...

, the

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

resumed winter training at Toblach and built hangars and a recreational center for its officers. Between 1956 and 1975, the

Italian Army "The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law" , colors = , colors_labels = , march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...

maintained a small number of Cessna L-19E artillery observation planes for the 2nd Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Alpine Brigade ''Tridentina'' at the airfield. On 11 May 1966, Italian Defense Minister Roberto Tremelloni elevated the airfield to airport. In 1976, all observation planes and helicopters of the 4th Alpine Army Corps were consolidated at Bolzano-San Giacomo Air Base and since then there are no permanently based planes or helicopters at the airport. For the 50th anniversary of the founding of the airport, Italian Defense Minister

Roberta Pinotti Roberta Pinotti (born 20 May 1961) is an Italian politician, member of the Democratic Party. From 22 February 2014 to 1 June 2018 she served as the Italian Minister of Defence in the governments of Matteo Renzi and Paolo Gentiloni. Early life ...

granted the Airport Detachment Toblach the use of the honor title '' Generale di Squadra Aerea Mario Pezzi''. Today the airport is used by the Italian Air Force and Italian Army for training purposes, the latter of which are managed by the

6th Alpini Regiment The 6th Alpini Regiment ( it, 6° Reggimento Alpini) is a training regiment of the Italian Army's mountain infantry speciality, the Alpini, which distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. The regiment is based in Bruneck ...

in cooperation with the 4th Army Aviation Regiment "Altair". The air force also maintains a number of holiday homes for its members and a meteorological station at the airport. Civilian airplanes may land at the airport between May and October on weekends and holidays. The airport management on these days is carried out by members of the Aero Club Dobbiaco - Toblach.

References

External links

Aero Club Dobbiaco - Toblach
{{authority control Aeronautica Militare Italian airbases

History

See also

References

External links