Peretola Airport
Encyclopedia
Peretola Airport, Florence Airport or Amerigo Vespucci Airport is an airport located close to Florence
, Italy
, but administratively located within the territory of Sesto Fiorentino
. It is one of two main airports in the Tuscany
region, the other being Galileo Galilei International Airport near Pisa
.
It is a small airport, with a single runway
and the main taxiway is situated at the end of runway 05, with an overshoot/holding area at the end of runway 23. As is common with smaller airports, after landing planes turn around at the end of the runway, they taxi back down the runway to reach the parking area and terminal.
In 1990, the airport was named after Florence native Amerigo Vespucci
, an Italian merchant and cartographer.
was created in the Campo di Marte area in 1910 when military authorities allowed the great field to be used for "Experiments in Air Navigation". Campo di Marte thus became Florence's first airport, and remained so throughout the Twenties. Soon surrounded by houses, the flight field became inadequate for the new aircraft that were then replacing the first canvas-covered craft. A more suitable area for the airport was needed and in 1928 the locality "Cipresso del Nistro" on the plain between Florence and Sesto Fiorentino
was chosen. The Peretola airport was inaugurated there in the early Thirties.
Peretola was a great field where airplanes landed and took off without any mandatory direction until the Ministry of Aeronautics decided to enlarge and upgrade the now aged flight field. The airport area was extended toward Castello, and in 1938-39 an asphalt runway 60 meters wide and 1,000 meters long, oriented in the north-east direction, was built.
In the late 1940s Peretola welcomed its first passenger flights with the DC-3 Aerea Teseo. In 1948, however, this company went out of business. In the late Fifties and early Sixties Alitalia
, also using the DC3, offered the flights Rome-Florence-Venice and Rome-Florence-Milan. ATI then offered several domestic flights with the Fokker F27
. In the early 1980s it was decided to upgrade the airport facilities to let Peretola "take-off" again.
In 1984 Saf, now AdF (the company which manages the airport) was founded and in the same year the restructuring work was completed: lengthening (from 1,000 to 1,400 meters) and lighting of the runway, installation of the VOR-DME, and rebuilding of the airport terminal. In September 1986, regular flights started again. Since then the number of airplanes and passengers has steadily increased.
In 1990, after a debate that involved Florence's politicians and intellectuals, the airport was named after Amerigo Vespucci
the great Florentine navigator.
In 1992 the building now dedicated to arrivals, constructed by AdF, was inaugurated. Two years later Civilavia inaugurated the new departures building. Also in 1994 the City of Florence opened the new car park at the entrance to the airport. Improvements in quality were obvious, but definitive upgrading of the airport took place in 1996 when the take-off and landing runway was lengthening by 250 meters and AdF provided for further enlargement of the departure area. Today the new area covers a total of 1,200 square meters, 770 of which are for public use, and it has 15 check-in desks.
Since April 9, 1998, AdF has had a global concession for managing the airport infrastructures, and it has assumed responsibility for the maintenance and development of Florence Airport.
In late 1999 projects for restructuring and enlargement began, involving the departures and arrivals terminals, the aircraft parking areas and other areas dedicated to the operational and commercial management of the airport. In July 2000 AdF made it debut on the stock market and in 2001 Amerigo Vespucci was among the first European airports to obtain UNI EN ISO 9001/2000 certification for the quality of its services.
The airport is connected with the city by a bus service from the central railway station every half hour, operated by the local Florence city bus company ATAF. The Police brance Polizia di Stato
stations police helicopter
s at the airport.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, but administratively located within the territory of Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino is a municipality in the province of Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. It has c. 46,700 inhabitants.- History :The oldest known human settlement in the area dates from the Mesolithic...
. It is one of two main airports in the Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
region, the other being Galileo Galilei International Airport near Pisa
Pisa
Pisa is a city in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the right bank of the mouth of the River Arno on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa...
.
It is a small airport, with a single runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
and the main taxiway is situated at the end of runway 05, with an overshoot/holding area at the end of runway 23. As is common with smaller airports, after landing planes turn around at the end of the runway, they taxi back down the runway to reach the parking area and terminal.
In 1990, the airport was named after Florence native Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
, an Italian merchant and cartographer.
History
The first air field in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
was created in the Campo di Marte area in 1910 when military authorities allowed the great field to be used for "Experiments in Air Navigation". Campo di Marte thus became Florence's first airport, and remained so throughout the Twenties. Soon surrounded by houses, the flight field became inadequate for the new aircraft that were then replacing the first canvas-covered craft. A more suitable area for the airport was needed and in 1928 the locality "Cipresso del Nistro" on the plain between Florence and Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino
Sesto Fiorentino is a municipality in the province of Florence, Tuscany, central Italy. It has c. 46,700 inhabitants.- History :The oldest known human settlement in the area dates from the Mesolithic...
was chosen. The Peretola airport was inaugurated there in the early Thirties.
Peretola was a great field where airplanes landed and took off without any mandatory direction until the Ministry of Aeronautics decided to enlarge and upgrade the now aged flight field. The airport area was extended toward Castello, and in 1938-39 an asphalt runway 60 meters wide and 1,000 meters long, oriented in the north-east direction, was built.
In the late 1940s Peretola welcomed its first passenger flights with the DC-3 Aerea Teseo. In 1948, however, this company went out of business. In the late Fifties and early Sixties Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
, also using the DC3, offered the flights Rome-Florence-Venice and Rome-Florence-Milan. ATI then offered several domestic flights with the Fokker F27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
. In the early 1980s it was decided to upgrade the airport facilities to let Peretola "take-off" again.
In 1984 Saf, now AdF (the company which manages the airport) was founded and in the same year the restructuring work was completed: lengthening (from 1,000 to 1,400 meters) and lighting of the runway, installation of the VOR-DME, and rebuilding of the airport terminal. In September 1986, regular flights started again. Since then the number of airplanes and passengers has steadily increased.
In 1990, after a debate that involved Florence's politicians and intellectuals, the airport was named after Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
the great Florentine navigator.
In 1992 the building now dedicated to arrivals, constructed by AdF, was inaugurated. Two years later Civilavia inaugurated the new departures building. Also in 1994 the City of Florence opened the new car park at the entrance to the airport. Improvements in quality were obvious, but definitive upgrading of the airport took place in 1996 when the take-off and landing runway was lengthening by 250 meters and AdF provided for further enlargement of the departure area. Today the new area covers a total of 1,200 square meters, 770 of which are for public use, and it has 15 check-in desks.
Since April 9, 1998, AdF has had a global concession for managing the airport infrastructures, and it has assumed responsibility for the maintenance and development of Florence Airport.
In late 1999 projects for restructuring and enlargement began, involving the departures and arrivals terminals, the aircraft parking areas and other areas dedicated to the operational and commercial management of the airport. In July 2000 AdF made it debut on the stock market and in 2001 Amerigo Vespucci was among the first European airports to obtain UNI EN ISO 9001/2000 certification for the quality of its services.
The airport is connected with the city by a bus service from the central railway station every half hour, operated by the local Florence city bus company ATAF. The Police brance Polizia di Stato
Polizia di Stato
The Polizia di Stato is one of the national police forces of Italy.It is the main police force for providing police duties and it is also responsible for patrolling motorways , railways , airports , customs as well as certain waterways, and assisting the local police...
stations police helicopter
Police helicopter
A police aircraft is an airplane, helicopter, powered paraglider, or blimpused in police operations. They are commonly used for traffic control, ground support, search and rescue, high-speed car pursuits, observation, air patrol and riot control...
s at the airport.
Airlines and destinations
External links
- Florence Airport (official site)
- Florence Airport Information
- Florence Airport by About Florence Information and details about airport transfer services.
- Coave Florence Airport Transfers Airport transfer service.