Catania–Fontanarossa Airport
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport Aeroporto di Catania-Fontanarossa | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||
| Operator | SAC | ||||||||||||
| Location | Catania | ||||||||||||
| Focus city for | |||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 39 ft / 12 m | ||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 37°28′00″N 15°03′50″E / 37.46667°N 15.06389°E | ||||||||||||
| Website | aeroporto.catania.it | ||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Statistics (2024) | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Source: Italian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] Statistics from Assaeroporti[2] | |||||||||||||
Catania–Fontanarossa Airport (IATA: CTA, ICAO: LICC), also known as Vincenzo Bellini Airport (Italian: Aeroporto Internazionale Vincenzo Bellini di Catania-Fontanarossa), is an international airport 2.3 NM (4.3 km; 2.6 mi) southwest[1] of Catania, the second largest city on the Italian island of Sicily. It is named after the opera composer Vincenzo Bellini, who was born in Catania.
According to Assaeroporti, it is the busiest airport in Sicily and the fourth busiest in Italy in 2020.[3] Major airlines such as ITA Airways, Lufthansa and KLM offer services here and connect numerous European destinations such as Rome, Munich, Amsterdam and Berlin, while low-cost airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair offer flights to popular European destinations such as London and Paris.
With nearly two million passengers carried in 2016, the Catania/Fontanarossa – Rome/Fiumicino route is Italy's busiest air route, and Europe's second busiest in 2021.[citation needed]
Sometimes, volcanic ash from volcanic eruptions from nearby Mount Etna, lead to short-term closures of the airport (usually no more than one day).[4][5][6]
History

Early years
Catania Airport's history dates back to 1924, when it was the region's first airport. During World War II it was seized by the Allies during the Sicily Campaign and used by the United States Army Air Forces as a military airfield. Twelfth Air Force used the airport as a combat airfield, stationing the 340th Bombardment Group, which flew B-25 Mitchells from 27 August to 19 November 1943. In addition, the HQ, 51st Troop Carrier Wing used the airport from 29 September 1943 to 29 June 1944. Various transport units used the airport for the rest of the war. After the war, it was turned back over to civil authorities.[7]
By the late 1940s, it was clear that the airport was fast running out of space and it was deemed necessary to relocate it. In 1950, the new bigger and improved Catania Airport opened for business.
After 20 years of unexpected growth and high passengers levels, in 1981 it was once again necessary to restructure the airport to cope with demand. [citation needed]
Development since the 2000s

In order to cope with the increasing passengers figures, a new terminal, equipped with 22 gates and six loading bridges, opened on 8 May 2007 replacing the old facilities. [citation needed] The current "investment programme" has ensured that Catania Fontanarossa Airport continues to look forward and plan for growth over the next ten years, implementing a whole new infrastructure and making many additions, including a panoramic restaurant, a new airside runway and further office space.[citation needed]
Ryanair started flying to Catania in 2013, initially announcing only one route to Catania while also starting operations to Comiso Airport, a new airport which opened in 2013 and is located approximately 100 km (60 mi) from Catania, near the city of Ragusa.[8]
To cope with the fast passenger growth, two additional terminals were opened in 2018 (Terminal B and C). Terminal C is used exclusively by easyJet.
2023 Terminal Fire and temporary disruption
On 16 July 2023, a part of the airport was burned in a fire of unclear origin. Flights to Catania on that day were redirected to Comiso, Palermo and Trapani, and other flight activity was almost entirely interrupted until the following 19 July.[9] Flights over the following 3 week period continued to be disrupted until the normal operations were fully resumed on 5 August.[10]
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Catania–Fontanarossa Airport:
Statistics
Ground transportation
Train
A new train station, Catania-Aeroporto Fontanarossa served by regional train lines such as the Messina-Syracuse railway, the Catania-Palermo railway, as well as the Catania-Caltagirone railway. Catania-Aeroporto Fontanarossa rail station is part of Catania's suburban railway line. The station is situated between Bicocca and Catania-Acquicella stations.[104] A typical journey to and from Catania Central Station will take less than 10 minutes, and approximately one hour to and from Syracuse or Taormina train stations.[105]
Car
The airport is located close to the A19 motorway, which links Catania with Palermo and central Sicily, while the European route E45 runs to Syracuse in the south.
Bus
A shuttle bus service provides transport into Catania city centre and the Central Train Station, while scheduled bus services to other parts of the island[106] are also available direct from the airport. The main bus station is opposite the railway station and 10 minutes walk from the city centre.
See also
Other airports in Sicily:
- Palermo Airport Falcone e Borsellino – also known as Punta Raisi Airport
- Trapani Birgi Airport Vincenzo Florio
- Comiso Airport Vincenzo Magliocco
References
- ^ a b "EAD Basic - Error Page". ead.eurocontrol.int. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ^ "Statistiche - Assaeroporti". assaeroporti.com. 26 November 2024.
- ^ "Home Assaeroporti | Associazione Italiana Gestori Aeroportuali". Assaeroporti (in Italian). Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ "Sicily's Catania airport reopens after Mount Etna eruption". phys.org. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
- ^ Watch: Spectacular Mount Etna eruption in Sicily. Retrieved 5 July 2024 – via apnews.com.
- ^ "Etna eruption closes Catania Airport". Malta Today. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Maurer Maurer, ed. (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- ^ "Official Ryanair website - Cheap flights from Ireland - Ryanair". ryanair.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018. [not specific enough to verify]
- ^ Raiti, Daria; Di Grazia, Andrea (17 July 2023). "Incendio in aeroporto, voli dirottati su Palermo e Trapani: Procura apre inchiesta". Catania Today (in Italian). Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Catania airport returns to normal service - English". ANSA.it. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
- ^ Nadalet, Ivan (5 November 2013). "Aegean outlines its post Olympic Airlines tie-up strategy". ch-aviation. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Machado, João (15 February 2023). "Aeroitalia, supported by local government, boosts its Sicilian operation". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (31 March 2025). "Milan Bergamo Airport enters summer with new airlines and routes". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Dal 30 marzo 2026 Aeroitalia apre quattro nuove rotte da Cagliari". CagliariToday (in Italian). 26 January 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Aer Lingus to fly three new sun holiday routes from Dublin Airport in 2024". independent.ie. 21 December 2023.
- ^ Babas, Latifa (28 October 2020). "Air Arabia Maroc to link Casablanca to Rennes starting from December". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (11 September 2025). "New Route of the Day (6 September 2025): airBaltic between Riga and Faro". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Air Cairo investe sull'Italia: raffica di nuovi voli e una nuova regional manager". TravelQuotidiano. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Going Global - New Destinations Take Flight as Air Canada Expands Network for Summer 2026".
- ^ McCourt Francescone, Pamela (18 March 2025). "Air France will be flying to 14 Italian airports this summer". Italiabsolutely. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Air Serbia establishes direct flights between Belgrade and Sardinia". Telegraf (in Serbian). 10 June 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Austrian präsentiert Sommerflugplan". Fliegerweb (in German). 17 December 2021. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Jones, Rhys (5 October 2025). "Where does British Airways fly from London Gatwick this winter?". Head for Points. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Brussels Airlines élargit son réseau à l'été 2014 | Air Journal". 19 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Denmark's DAT wins PSO contract in southern Italy". ch-aviation.com. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
- ^ "Delta Expands in Europe with First-Ever Nonstop Flights to Catania". Business Traveler. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "EasyJet to Start New Routes from Basel from April 2013 | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Cox, Josie (6 December 2017). "EasyJet has just launched dozens of new routes across Germany". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b c "Aeroporto di Catania, un nuovo Terminal per i voli easyJet". Ttgitalia (in Italian). 17 July 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (24 December 2021). "Wizz Air reveals 14 new Gatwick routes for summer 2022 after acquiring slots from Norwegian". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "easyJet expand European bases | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Jaeger, Thomas (16 December 2017). "easyJet reveals first new destinations from Bordeaux base". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Malsen, Richard (5 November 2014). "easyJet Adds Gibraltar Link from Bristol | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Ferguson, Laura; Gourlay, Kris (29 November 2023). "EasyJet announce new Edinburgh flights to popular destinations including Lapland". Edinburgh Live. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Easyjet forced couple off overbooked flight". BBC News. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (9 January 2023). "New Route of the Day (20 December 2022): easyJet between Lyon and Funchal". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Calder, Simon (12 October 2019). "Mount Etna erupting disrupts flights to the Mediterranean". The Independent. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Calcaterra, Alex (20 April 2023). "Catania Airport, flurry of international flights for future "Mediterranean hub"". The Flight Club. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "Private jet blocks runway - Edelweiss plane has to take off". blue News. 9 January 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Davies, Phil (9 May 2020). "Med focus as German carrier Eurowings steps up holiday flights". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Eurowings: New routes to the Greek islands for the summer of 2026". ΧΡΗΜΑ & ΤΟΥΡΙΣΜΟΣ money-tourism.gr. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Pratap, Rana (15 August 2024). "Travel Chaos in Germany Protests Lead to Flight Cancellations and Disruptions at Cologne-Bonn, Nuremberg and Stuttgart - Travel And Tour World". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Eurowings Expands Summer Flights for 2025". Body and Soul International. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Hamburg Airport flying to new destinations in 2024". Hamburg’s business portal. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Molyneaux, Ian (28 August 2025). "Finnair strengthens Southern European network for 2026". Aerotime Aero. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Traynor, Sian (11 April 2025). "flydubai restarts flights to one of Europe's must-see cities". Time Out Dubai. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ MEITAL, SHARABI/MAARIV (24 February 2025). "Israelis will go crazy: The perfect summer 2025 destination returns". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Martinez Garbuno, Daniel (12 March 2024). "Greece's Air Mediterranean secures GoToFly charter contract". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Peters, Luke (10 February 2025). "Iberia launches major expansion plans for summer 2025". Aerotime Aero. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Israeli airline holds fashion show during flight to Italy". The Jerusalem Post. 8 December 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Passengers Grounded Around Italy Today As Rome, Milan, Bergamo And Catania Delay 383 And Cancel 13 Flights, Hitting ITA Airways, Wizz Air Malta, Ryanair, easyJet, And Other Airlines - Travel And Tour World". 6 February 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Casey, David (18 July 2025). "Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C July 14, 2025) | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Cattaneo, Mariella (27 September 2021). "Jet2.com will add Catania and Olbia to its Italian network for the summer of 2022". Italiabsolutely. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (29 June 2021). "New Route of the Day (26 June 2021): KLM between Amsterdam and Verona". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "KM Malta Airlines Reveals Summer 2026 Schedule - 7,948 Flights, 19 Routes, New Tel Aviv Service". KM Malta Airlines. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
- ^ "New airline replacing Air Malta to fly on March 31, 2024". 2 October 2023.
- ^ "Lufthansa Air-Crew Pioneers Unique Sicily-Malta Transition". Aero-News. 7 August 2023. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Lufthansa is expanding its European network this winter". Travelling News (in Greek). 26 July 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Lufthansa City Airlines expands route network from Munich". 16 June 2025.
- ^ Porcu, Mattia (19 December 2024). "Luxair orders 6 Embraer E195-E2: deliveries scheduled between 2026 and 2027". The Flight Club. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Milan Bergamo Airport Cranks Up The Heat On Summer Seasonal Services | Aviation Travel News". aviation.travel. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Sipinski, Dominik (4 September 2020). "Wizz Air to enter Italian domestic market". ch-aviation. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Neos compie 20 anni. E festeggia con il ritorno delle destinazioni lungo raggio". TravelQuotidiano. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b Jarvis, Howard (3 November 2023). "Norwegian secures TUI Nordics charter contract". ch-aviation. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (27 January 2023). "SAS is Europe's 8th largest airline; Copenhagen has passed Stockholm as top airport; US routes coming". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (2 June 2025). "Catania welcomes first North American route; Ryanair has 40% of Q3 capacity". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Quaranta voli settimanali e tariffe a partire da 29,90 euro: le rotte di Ryanair dal "Sanzio" per l'estate 2026". AnconaToday (in Italian). 15 January 2026. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj Porcu, Mattia (14 February 2024). "From Catania there will be 650 flights a week only with Ryanair: 5 new routes for summer 24". The Flight Club. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Baldwin, Sian; Davies, Rachael (4 July 2025). "Full list of Ryanair flights cancelled due to France air traffic controllers strike". Yahoo News. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Nadalet, Ivan (22 June 2017). "Ryanair unveils Bergamo as next Connecting Flights hub". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Ryanair sbarca in Albania. Attacco frontale a Wizz Air". 8 June 2023.
- ^ Nowakowski, Adrian (15 March 2023). "SAS Adds New Routes For Summer 2023". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (17 July 2023). "New Route of the Day (6 July 2023): SAS between Oslo OSL and Stuttgart". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lisi, Monica (21 October 2025). "SkyAlps expands its network for winter: flights to Dresden and Warsaw". italiabsolutely. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Očadlý, Vojtěch (15 July 2023). "Wizz Airu přibude na trase Praha-Sicílie konkurence, linku do Katánie spustí také Ryanair". Zdopravy (in Czech). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Karantzavelou, Vicky (22 April 2021). "Smartwings to operate flights from 6 airports in Poland to 28 destinations in the summer season". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "SWISS to offer new European services for the 2024 summer season". aviacionline. 7 April 2024.
- ^ redactie, Onze (28 August 2006). "Transavia.com 'vergeet' hond op Sicilië". Luchtvaartnieuws. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Citrinot, Luc (17 September 2025). "Transavia: sharp drop in frequencies on domestic routes taken over from Air France". Business travel. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Woerkom, Klaas-Jan van (10 September 2025). "Transavia start zomerverkoop: nieuwe routes en vertrouwde favorieten". Luchtvaartnieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Orban, André (31 August 2020). "TUI fly Belgium operations for September 2020". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (15 May 2023). "Palermo welcomes Turkish Airlines, one of three new airlines this summer; has gained 13+ new routes". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ MD80.it, Redazione (19 December 2025). "Volotea chiude l'anno con numerose novità e si prepara a un 2026 di ulteriore espansione in Italia e in Europa". MD80 (in Italian). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Volotea vola alto: 2025 da record e nuovi traguardi per il futuro". VeronaSera (in Italian). 6 August 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Jarvis, Howard (11 November 2022). "Spain's Volotea to open Florence base in early 2Q23". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Seppone, Nicola (31 March 2023). "Volotea inaugurates new flights from Rome and Catania to Lourdes". The Flight Club. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (4 October 2023). "Volotea replaces easyJet as Nantes' top carrier; (U)LCCs now account for 81% of seats". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ McCourt Francescone, Pamela (22 February 2024). "Volotea will be the first airline to operate at the new Salerno Airport". italiabsolutely. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b Lassetter, Jon (19 June 2024). "New Route of the Day (13 June 2024): Vueling between Barcelona and Comiso". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ MD80 it, Redazione (5 February 2026). "Nuovo collegamento Bologna - Palermo: Wizz Air rafforza la rete domestica dell'Emilia Romagna". MD80 it (in Italian). Retrieved 8 February 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Casey, David (30 January 2026). "Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Jan. 26, 2026)". Aviation Week. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Wizz Air launches new Turin-Budapest route: flights from Oct. 28". The Flight Club. 3 August 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Nadalet, Ivan (8 December 2015). "Wizz Air to open Iasi, Romania base in 3Q2016". Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Rokou, Tatiana (17 March 2025). "Wizz Air announces flights from Katowice Airport to Billund". TravelDailyNews International. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ a b Casey, David (6 February 2026). "Routes & Networks Latest: Rolling Daily Updates (W/C Feb. 2, 2026) | Aviation Week Network". Aviation Week. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Statement of Intent: Wizz Air launches new route to Israel - 4 weekly flights to the largest island in the Mediterranean" (in Hebrew). PassportNews. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 24 January 2026.
- ^ "Wizz Air Expands Network with New Turin to Bucharest Flight and Routes to Budapest, Catania, Iasi, Tirana and Warsaw - Travel And Tour World". 1 August 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Beresnevicius, Rytis (22 October 2020). "Wizz Air announces 10th base of 2020 in Catania, Italy - AeroTime". Aerotime Aero. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (12 June 2024). "Rivalry? Ryanair and Wizz Air compete head-to-head on 165 airport pairs, with Budapest having the most". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Oro linijų bendrovė "Wizz Air" skelbia apie dvi naujas kryptis iš Lietuvos". 6 February 2025.
- ^ Banila, Nicoleta (2 March 2020). "Wizz Air cuts flights on Romania, Moldova routes to Italy over coronavirus | Southeast Europe Investments News | SeeNews". See News. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Fancy Egypt? Wizz opens two new routes from Italy to Sharm El-Sheikh and Marsa Alan". theflightclub.it. 6 August 2024.
- ^ Lassetter, Jon (4 August 2025). "New Routes of the Day (18 July 2025): Wizz Air's new routes from Wroclaw". Air Service One. Retrieved 8 February 2026.
- ^ "Catania Airport Train Station". 12 January 2020.
- ^ "EN - Trenitalia". www.trenitalia.com.[full citation needed]
- ^ "Catania Airport Bus".
External links
Media related to Catania–Fontanarossa Airport at Wikimedia Commons