Naples-Capodichino International Airport () is the intercontinental airport serving Naples and the Southern Italian region of Campania. According to 2019 data, the airport is the fifth-busiest airport in Italy and the busiest in Southern Italy. The airport serves as a base for easyJet, Ryanair, Volotea and Wizzair. Located north-northeast of the city in the Naples, the airport is officially named Aeroporto di Napoli-Capodichino Ugo Niutta, after decorated WWI pilot Ugo Niutta. The airport covers 233 hectares (576 acres) of land and contains one runway.
History
The district of Capodichino – in the area known as "Campo di Marte" – hosted the first flight exhibitions in Naples in 1910. During the First World War, "Campo di Marte" became a military airport in order to defend the town against Austro-Hungarian and German air attacks.
During World War II, it was used as a combat airfield by the United States Army Air Forces and the Royal Air Force extensively during the Italian Campaign. The airfield was first used by RAF No. 324 Wing with its five squadrons of Supermarine Spitfires in 1943. It was then used by the US Twelfth Air Force 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), 332nd FG (15 Apr 44 - 28 Mar 44, P-39 Airacobra). When the combat units moved out, Air Transport Command 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, Eurofly began seasonal service to New York City using Airbus A330s. This was the airport's first transatlantic flight. In 2010, the airline merged with Meridiana to form Meridiana Fly, which maintained the route. The service ceased in 2017 ahead of Meridiana Fly's rebranding as Air Italy. In May 2019, United Airlines launched seasonal flights to Newark aboard a Boeing 767.
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, 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 (orientation: 06/24 – – resistance: PCN90/F/B/W/T – assistance: PAPI, ILS) in bituminous conglomerate and concrete, with one taxiway. 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: