Trapani–Birgi Airport

Trapani-Birgi Airport
Aeroporto civile Vincenzo Florio
Aeroporto militare Livio Bassi
Summary
Airport typeMilitary/public
ServesProvince of Trapani, Italy
Operating base forRyanair (from 2026)
Elevation AMSL25 ft / 8 m
Coordinates37°54′43″N 012°29′36″E / 37.91194°N 12.49333°E / 37.91194; 12.49333
Websitewww.airgest.it
Map
TPS is located in Sicily
TPS
TPS
Location of the airport in Sicily
TPS is located in Italy
TPS
TPS
TPS (Italy)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
13R/31L 2,695 8,841 Bitumen
13L/31R 2,620 8,595 Bitumen
Statistics (2025)
Passengers1,007,409
Passenger change 24–25Decrease 6.29%
Statistics from Airgest.it[1]

Trapani–Birgi Airport (IATA: TPS, ICAO: LICT), officially known as Vincenzo Florio Airport, is a dual-use civil and military airport in western Sicily, Italy. Civilian operations are managed by Airgest, while the airport also hosts Italian Air Force activities and serves as one of the forward operating bases used by NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control Force.

Situated between the cities of Trapani and Marsala, it is one of six passenger airports in Sicily and functions as a secondary international gateway, providing scheduled domestic and international passenger services, including subsidised routes to smaller island communities such as Pantelleria.

History

Aviation activity in the Trapani area predates the opening of Trapani–Birgi Airport. After the Second World War, civilian air services were operated from Trapani–Chinisia Airport, which remained open to civil traffic between 1955 and 1961. Following the closure of Trapani–Chinisia, the role of the area’s civilian airport was transferred to Birgi.[2]

Trapani–Birgi was developed in the early 1960s. Civil aviation activities began in 1964, with initial scheduled services linking Trapani to Palermo, Pantelleria and Tunis. From the same period, the airport also hosted military activities, establishing its role as a facility with both civilian and military functions.[2]

From 1964 until the mid-1980s, scheduled civilian services were operated by Aero Trasporti Italiani on the Rome–Naples–Palermo–Trapani route, with connections to Lampedusa added from 1968. During the 1970s, an increase in military activity at Birgi contributed to the progressive definition of separate operational areas for civilian and military use within the airport.[2]

In June 2003, agreements between the Italian Civil Aviation Authority and the Sicilian regional government led to the introduction of subsidised public service air routes. Around the same time, responsibility for civilian airport operations was assigned to Airgest, beginning a new phase of development for the airport’s civilian activities alongside its ongoing military use.[2]

Military use

Eurofighter Typhoon of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana in Trapani

Trapani–Birgi is the base of the Italian Air Force’s 37° Stormo (37th Fighter Wing), which is responsible for the surveillance and defence of Italian airspace and operates from the airport year-round.[3]

The Italian Air Force conducts regular air defence operations from Birgi, including quick-reaction alert missions involving Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft operating from the airfield.[4] The airport is one of the forward operating bases (FOBs) used by the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force based at NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen in Germany.[5]

In September 2025 it was announced that Trapani–Birgi will become home to a global F-35 training base, conceived as the first pilot training centre for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II outside the United States. The facility is expected to include advanced training infrastructure, and initial training capability is anticipated by late 2028, with full operational status projected by mid-2029.[6][7]

Airlines and destinations

Trapani–Birgi Airport has scheduled passenger flights, with some routes operating only seasonally. Ryanair began operating routes from the airport in 2006, opened a base in 2009, and announced the opening of a new base in 2026, accompanied by several additional routes.[8][9] Public service obligation services have also operated between Trapani and Pantelleria, including flights operated by DAT from 1 July 2018.[10] AlbaStar has also operated services from the airport.[11]

AirlinesDestinations
DAT Pantelleria[12]
Ryanair Bergamo,[13] Bologna,[14] London–Stansted,[13] Malta,[13] Pisa,[13] Rome–Fiumicino,[15] Turin,[13] Venice[16]
Seasonal: Bari (begins 3 April 2026),[17] Bratislava,[13] Bournemouth (begins 31 March 2026),[18] Charleroi,[13] Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden,[13] Katowice, Manchester,[19] Milan–Malpensa,[13] Pescara,[13] Porto,[20] Saarbrücken (begins 3 April 2026),[21] Seville,[19] Stockholm–Arlanda (begins 30 March 2026),[22] Verona (begins 3 April 2026),[23] Lublin (begins 3 April 2026),[24] Weeze[19]

Air traffic statistics

Passenger figures are annual totals as reported by Airgest.

Year Domestic
passengers		 International
passengers		 Total
passengers		 Var %
prev. year
2025 758,542 246,003 1,007,409 Decrease6.29
2024 760,797 310,191 1,074,939 Decrease19.32
2023 924,174 400,964 1,332,368 Increase49.42
2022 637,212 252,980 891,670 Increase108.4
2021 366,841 56,894 427,893 Increase131.9
2020 169,165 12,343 185,581 Decrease54.9
2019 322,218 80,732 411,437 Decrease14.4
2018 366,801 103,324 480,524 Decrease62.8
2017 923,284 366,801 1,292,957 Decrease13.4
2016 1,151,515 339,385 1,493,519 Decrease5.9
2015 1,195,377 389,966 1,586,992 Decrease0.7
2014 1,159,837 436,705 1,598,571 Decrease14.9
2013 1,279,972 596,828 1,878,557 Increase19.0
2012 1,110,532 465,937 1,578,753 Increase7.36
2011 918,027 550,769 1,470,508 Decrease12.6
2010 1,024,755 656,573 1,682,991 Increase57.4
2009 757,555 301,308 1,069,528 Increase100.5
2008 342,025 186,774 533,310 Increase5.2
2007 432,943 72,946 507,185 Increase62.3
2006 305,895 4,802 312,459 Decrease19.8
2005 385,612 2,194 389,735 Decrease5.2
2004 382,867 19,071 410,898 Increase66.7

Source: Airgest (official Trapani–Birgi Airport operator).[1]

Facilities

Trapani–Birgi Airport has a single passenger terminal with approximately 11,000 square metres of publicly accessible space. The ground floor of the terminal includes check-in desks, waiting lounges, luggage conveyors, access gates to the secure area and facilities for passengers with reduced mobility. Cafeteria and hospitality services, first aid rooms and car rental offices are also located on this level.[25]

The departures area on the first floor contains boarding gates for domestic and international flights, a lounge area, and an area for food and retail outlets. Charging stations for mobile devices are available in both the arrivals and departures areas.[25]

The airport has 672 parking spaces in front of the terminal, including 18 designated spaces for people with disabilities, and is open 24 hours a day.[26] Car rental services are also available.[27]

Ground transport

Bus

Trapani–Birgi Airport is connected by regular bus and shuttle services to the city of Trapani and to major destinations in western Sicily, including Marsala, Palermo and Agrigento. According to the airport operator Airgest, these services are provided primarily by Autoservizi Salemi (serving Trapani, Marsala and Palermo), Autolinee Lumia (serving Agrigento), and Azienda Siciliana Trasporti (serving Trapani), with additional onward connections available from these hubs to other towns in the region.[28]

Train

A new railway station is under construction on the Trapani–Marsala section of the Palermo–Trapani line (via Castelvetrano) to serve Trapani–Birgi Airport. The station, officially named “Vincenzo Florio”, is intended to provide direct intermodal connections between the airport terminal, Trapani railway station and other cities in western Sicily.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b "Dati di traffico aeroportuale" [Airport traffic data]. Airgest – Trapani–Birgi Airport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d ENAC (Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile). "Aeroporto di Trapani–Birgi – La Storia (Aeroporti della Sicilia)" [Trapani–Birgi Airport – History (Airports of Sicily)] (PDF) (in Italian). ENAC. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Reparti dell'Aeronautica Militare" [Units of the Italian Air Force] (in Italian). Ministero della Difesa – Aeronautica Militare. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Difesa aerea: decollo immediato di due Eurofighter" [Air defence: immediate take-off of two Eurofighters] (in Italian). Ministero della Difesa – Aeronautica Militare. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  5. ^ "AWACS: NATO's 'eyes in the sky'". NATO. Archived from the original on 24 January 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  6. ^ Redazione (12 September 2025). "A Trapani Birgi nascerà la base di addestramento globale per gli F-35" [A global F-35 training base will be established at Trapani–Birgi]. Giornale di Sicilia (in Italian). Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  7. ^ "Italy names Sicily air base as first F-35 pilot school outside US". Defense News. 8 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Major opportunities remain in Europe" – Ryanair route director". Aviation Week. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  9. ^ "RYANAIR APRE UNA NUOVA BASE A TRAPANI-MARSALADA GENNAIO '26". 11 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Denmark's DAT wins PSO contract in southern Italy". ch-aviation. 13 April 2018. Archived from the original on 29 December 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  11. ^ "Albastar annuncia la programmazione per la stagione estiva 2021" [AlbaStar announces its schedule for the 2021 summer season]. Airgest (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  12. ^ "Denmark's DAT wins PSO contract in southern Italy". ch-aviation.com. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Trapani, Italy". OAG Flight Guide Worldwide. 25 (2). Luton, United Kingdom: OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited: 1090. August 2023. ISSN 1466-8718.
  14. ^ "Ryanair May – Oct 2023 Italy Frequency Variations – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes.
  15. ^ "Ryanair May – Oct 2023 Italy Frequency Variations – 14MAY23". Aeroroutes.
  16. ^ "News for Airlines, Airports and the Aviation Industry | CAPA".
  17. ^ "Trapani : i nuovi voli Ryanair". 24 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Trapani : i nuovi voli Ryanair". 24 September 2025.
  19. ^ a b c Liu, Jim (31 May 2022). "Ryanair Expands Trapani Network in NS22". Aeroroutes.com. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  20. ^ "Ryanair NS23 Network Additions Summary – 26MAR23". Aeroroutes.
  21. ^ "Trapani : i nuovi voli Ryanair". 24 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Trapani : i nuovi voli Ryanair". 24 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Ryanair: Trapani è di nuovo base. Cinque nuove rotte nel 2026". 24 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Ryanair Adds Lublin – Trapani Service in NS26". 4 February 2026.
  25. ^ a b "Terminal". Airgest – Trapani–Birgi Airport. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  26. ^ "Parking and Rates". Airgest – Trapani–Birgi Airport. Archived from the original on 18 October 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Car Rental". Airgest – Trapani–Birgi Airport. Archived from the original on 18 October 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Buses and shuttles". Airgest – Trapani–Birgi Airport. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  29. ^ "New "Vincenzo Florio" station for intermodal services to Trapani". Italferr. Archived from the original on 14 October 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trapani%E2%80%93Birgi_airport