Albenga
Welcome to Albenga-Riviera Airport
Hello everyone! Today, I want to talk to you about Albenga-Riviera Airport, an airport located in the beautiful Liguria region, just 8 km northwest of Albenga and 90 km southwest of Genoa, in the town of Villanova d'Albenga. The airport is the second-largest in Liguria and can only accommodate smaller aircraft that fly to the western Riviera and the cities of Savona, Sanremo, and Imperia.
Activities
Albenga-Riviera Airport is exclusively dedicated to general aviation and is used by many tourists from the northern Mediterranean, as well as by Piaggio Aerospace for testing its own aircraft. Thanks to the presence of Italian customs, international traffic is easily manageable. The airport's runway, 1500m long, can only be used by aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 60 tons. The airport is well connected to the main tourist and economic centers of the Italian Riviera and the Côte d'Azur, thanks to the A10 highway and the Aurelia road (SS1). In fact, Monte Carlo is reachable by car in less than an hour's drive. Additionally, a helicopter company based at the airport allows for direct access to the Principality of Monaco from the runway in less than 20 minutes. Finally, it's important to mention the Savona Aeroclub, which is located inside the airport.
History
Let's dive into some history about Albenga-Riviera Airport! In 1912, an airfield with a 900m grass runway, oriented southeast/northwest, was opened in Villanova d'Albenga. Later, in 1929, the well-known Piaggio Aero Industries began using the airport for the assembly and testing of its aircraft. The first to be produced and marketed was the Piaggio P.9. In 1937, the first macadam runway in Italy was built, measuring 1016m by 60m, and oriented 100-280. From that moment, the airport began to be used as the base for the 119th reconnaissance squad of the Royal Italian Air Force, and the construction of a hangar, barracks, and officer building with an associated club began.
Despite being used by German forces during World War II and rendered unusable, reconstruction work began in 1946. The runway was finally lengthened to 1140m and equipped with a taxiway that connected runway 10 with the aircraft parking apron. In that period, precisely on April 15, 1947, commercial activity at the airport resumed with the first flight from Rome Ciampino. In 1948, the Consortium of Flowers was tasked with transforming the airport from military to civilian, in order to boost tourism and allow for the export of flowers and agricultural products from the western Riviera. In the same year, the activities of the Savona Aeroclub and Piaggio Aero Industries also resumed. In 1959, the SEAVA company was established to increase the number of tourist flights.
Conclusion
There you have it, some friendly information about Albenga-Riviera Airport. A small airport that is very functional if you want to reach the area of the great Italian Riviera. In addition to tourist and business flights, Albenga-Riviera Airport offers the opportunity to spend time at the Aeroclub, where you can learn to fly with the help of qualified instructors. Furthermore, thanks to the numerous cooperative activities between companies, the airport is continuously improving and offering excellent services to meet the needs of passengers. Are you ready to take off? Enjoy your flight at Albenga-Riviera Airport!
