VENICE AIRPORTS
Venice Airport Systems includes the airports of Venice “Marco Polo”, Treviso “S. Giuseppe”, Lido di Venezia “Nicelli” and Padova, with SAVE Spa at the head of various Handling companies.
(AERTRE Spa, Aeroporto Civile di Padova, Nicelli Spa.)
The main airport, Marco Polo, is dedicated above all to scheduled flights, while the nearby airport of Treviso especially for charter flights and cargo traffic (DHL, UPS). The two smaller airports, Lido di Venezia and Padova, are more committed to lighter traffic and sports activity. In total in 2004, this group has realised over 6,700,000 (included Treviso 850.000 transits) passengers, posting itself at the third place in Italy for traffic volume.
Venice airport "Marco Polo"
The airport of Venice “Marco Polo” has been inaugurated in 1960. The principle European airline companies connect the airport with the whole of Europe and North America, also non stop, and offers weekly 69 flights to France, 62 to Germany, 28 to Great Britain, 63 to Switzerland, 61 to Belgium, 21 to Austria, 38 to Spain, 21 to the Netherlands and last but not least 7 non stop flight to New York and a start up flight to Philadelphia operated by US Airways. The total flights, included national links, are over 1000 for week.
The following are the principle airline companies with scheduled flights: Aeroflot, Air Dolomiti, Alitalia, Airone, Air France, Alpi Eagles, British Airways, Delta, Iberia, KLM, Lufthansa, Maersk, Meridiana, Sn Brussels, Hapag Lloyd Express, Malev Express, Austrian Arrows, Easyjet, Denim Airways, Jet 2, SAS.
Marco Polo airport is also base of Officine Aeronavali’s facilities. Since 1970 in the sector of revisions and conversions of military aircraft (Brequet Atlantic, E-3A NATO), and civil aircraft (DC-10 and MD-11) for important cargo carriers like FedEx.
Then there are the principle aeronautical state cores (Police, Custom Police, Fire Brigade) that operate helicopters (AB 204 & 206, A109, NH 500) as means of transportation. With the Master Plan of the airport their installations will be increased.
From 1997 on, the Venice airport also became the home base of Alpi Eagles which operates with its 8 Fokker 100’s national and international connections.
Lido di Venezia airport "G.Nicelli"
The airport “G.Nicelli” of San Nicolò at Lido di Venezia is one of the oldest airports of Italy and in fact from here departed the first-ever paying passenger of the Italian aviation history.
Important from the First World War on with the close by hydro-airport Saint Andrea, it had a relevant development of Line traffic between the two World Wars and again during the same period, did became famous for some editions of the “Coppa Schneider” for waterplanes.
Before and after the Second World War it was also base of the Officine Aeronavali, transferred in the beginning of the seventies to “Marco Polo” Venice-Tessera and was used for line flights of LAI and Alitalica until 1960. Today the main user is the local Aeroclub of Venice “G. Ancillotto” and is open to intensive seasonal touristy traffic also international.
Finally it sees possible future development as supplementary commuter airport for “Marco Polo”, thanks to a series of re-qualification projects like asphalting the runway during the corse of 2002, restauration of the historical airstation and the movement of the Aeroclub hangar.
Inside the airport complex are also present the restored structures of the Officine Aeronavali, now owned by Sorlini ltd., specialized in aeronautical revisions.
Padova airport "Gino Allegri"
The airport “Gino Allegri” of Padova from old war origins, always housed the regional or commuter traffic, given its close by renowned Hot Springs. Its activity has always remained limited, despite many temptation for development from the Regional Companies, because it has always been penalized for its size and the fact that by now it is completely surrounded by housing which makes it scarcely safe for this kind of exploitation. Today, despite that it became in the interest of SAVE, handling company of Marco Polo – Venice, it sees its alteration and development even more reduced.
Actually the main users remain the Aeroclub “Mariano d’Ayala Godoy”, the SOATCC, the Command of Ist Air Brigade of Italian Air Force and the Fly-schools Air Columbia, Air Data, Airservices Nord-Est, Elicar, Air Corporate. The airport is also base for the Regional Air Ambulance Service.
Treviso airport "S.Giuseppe"
The airport of Treviso (after alternating stories) has a respectable history as military airport.For decennia was home base of the 2nd Squadron with Fiat G-91. It has always occupied itself with commercial activities in the charter sector and as a back-up of Venice-Tessera. It has been opened to line traffic in june 1953 with services of BEA, Alitalia and Austrian Airlines. Only after the successive opening of the “Marco Polo” airport in august 1960, it converted to charter flights and until today remained back-up for Venice-Tessera during particular weather conditions.
Actually, with the entry of SAVE as handling company, it sees an remarkable increase of traffic also in the Low-Cost and Cargo sector. In fact thanks to Ryanair it enjoys multiple daily connections with London Stansted, Brussels, Rome, Paris and weekly flights with East Europe to Bucarest (Tarom) and Timisoara (Carpatiar).
For charters, seasonally and non, it sees itself connected to Greece, Spain and Egypt.
Since some years, thanks to carrier companies like DHL, UPS and TNT which tie the Trevisian Airport to Rome – Ciampino, Bergamo, Luik, Istanbul and Koln, also the Cargo sector became more important.
Furthermore the airfield includes the maintenance centre of the fighter AMX of the Italian Air Force, the 14th helicopter squadron of the Carabinieri (Military Police), the Aeroclub of Treviso and the executives Benair (Benetton), Luxottica, De Longhi, Replay and Diesel.