Lugano Airport

Geschichte

Lugano Airport is a regional airport located 4km west of the Swiss city of Lugano, approximately 80 km north of Milan, in the municipalities of Agno, Bioggio and Muzzano. It lies closer to the village of Agno than to Lugano itself, and is sometimes known as Lugano-Agno. Around 200,000 passengers use the airport each year, using some 2,400 flights. There are also limited freight operations, a flying club and flight school. The headquarters of Darwin Airline are located at the airport.The airport is situated on land owned by the city of Lugano, whilst management is the responsibility of Lugano Airport SA, whose shares are owned by the canton of Ticino (12.5%) and the city (87.5%). The company has 73 employees, and an annual turnover of 10 million Swiss francs.HistoryThe current location of the airport dates back to 1938, when it opened as a grass field. The first paved runway was laid in 1960, and originally had a length of and a width of. Initially managed by private sector companies, the airport was taken over by the Azienda comunale dei trasporti della Città di Lugano, Lugano's municipal transport company, in 1974.In the early 1980s, the airline Crossair decided to invest in the airport, establishing connections between Lugano and various European cities. In 1985, the runway was extended by, and in 1989 a new control tower became operational.