Lugano Airport

Lugano Airport
Aeroporto di Lugano
IATA: LUGICAO: LSZA
Summary
Airport type Public AOE
Owner Lugano Airport SA
Operator Lugano Airport SA
Serves Lugano, Switzerland
Location Agno / Bioggio / Muzzano
Hub for Etihad Regional
Elevation AMSL 915 ft / 279 m
Coordinates 46°00′13″N 008°54′37″E / 46.00361°N 8.91028°E / 46.00361; 8.91028
Website lugano-airport.ch
Map
LUG

Location of airport in Switzerland

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
01/19 4,658 1,420 Asphalt
Source: Swiss AIP at EUROCONTROL[1]

Lugano Airport (IATA: LUG, ICAO: LSZA) is a regional airport located 4 km (2.5 mi) 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.[1][2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

History

The 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 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and a width of 30 metres (98 ft). 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.[3]

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 150 metres (490 ft), and in 1989 a new control tower became operational.[3]

Facilities

Terminal

The airport has a single passenger terminal building, with airline ticket and check-in desks, airport security and customs facilities. There is an air side departure lounge with duty-free shop, bar and snack bar. Boarding of aircraft is on foot across the apron.[5][6]

An adjacent building to the terminal building houses the ground side airport restaurant and flying club, with outdoor seating under an awning between the two buildings. Other ground side catering and shopping outlets are situated around an adjacent open courtyard.[5][6]

Runway

The airport has a single, bidirectional runway with an asphalt surface, identified as 01/19. The runway is 1,420 metres (4,660 ft) long, 30 metres (98 ft) wide, and 279 metres (915 ft) above mean sea level. There is no parallel taxiway, and aircraft arrivals and departures often involve backtracking on the runway.[1][3]

The airport's instrument approach procedure is quite challenging because of its steep angle of descent of 6.65°, more than double the standard approach angle of 3°. This is due to its geographic location in the mouth of a valley.

Airlines and destinations

Apron overview

The following airlines offer regular scheduled and charter flights at Lugano Airport:[7]

AirlinesDestinations
Etihad Regional
operated by Darwin Airline
Geneva
Seasonal: Cagliari, Olbia
Silver Air Seasonal: Elba
Swiss International Air Lines
operated by Austrian Airlines
Zürich

The nearest major international airport is Milan–Malpensa Airport in Italy, approx. 65 kilometres (40 mi) to the south.

Ground transportation

Road

The airport is some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from Lugano city centre by road, and a similar distance from the nearest junctions on the A2 motorway. It has both long and short term parking, a taxi rank, and a selection of car hire companies.[8][9][10]

Train

A shuttle bus connects the airport with Lugano railway station and city centre, meeting most scheduled flights. Agno railway station is a sign-posted ten-minute walk from the airport, and trains connect to Lugano and Ponte Tresa every 15 minutes on weekdays or 30 minutes at weekends.[9][11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 EAD Basic
  2. map.geo.admin.ch (Map). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lugano". Swiss International Airports Association. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  4. "Profile". Lugano Airport SA. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  5. 1 2 "Bars & Restaurants". Lugano Airport. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  6. 1 2 "Shops & Duty Free". Lugano Airport. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  7. http://www.lugano-airport.ch/en/passengers/airlines-destinations
  8. "Car & Parking". Lugano Airport. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  9. 1 2 "Taxi & Shuttle". Lugano Airport. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  10. "Rent a Car". Lugano Airport. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  11. "Public Transport". Lugano Airport. Retrieved 2012-10-16.

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