Rome Urbe Airport

Rome Urbe Airport (Italian: Aeroporto di Roma-Urbe, ICAO: LIRU)[2] is a small civilian airport in Rome, situated in the northern part of the city, between Via Salaria and the Tiber River, about 2.7 NM (5 km, 3.1 mi) inside the Greater Ring Road (Italian: Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA), the circular motorway around the city.[3][4][5]

Rome Urbe Airport

Aeroporto di Roma-Urbe
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorENAC
LocationRome, Lazio, Italy
OpenedApril 21, 1928 (1928-04-21)
Elevation AMSL55 ft / 17 m
Coordinates41°57′07″N 012°29′56″E
Map
LIRU is located in Rome
LIRU
LIRU
Location of airport on map of Rome
Location of airport on map of Lazio
LIRU is located in Lazio
LIRU
LIRU
Location of Lazio region in Italy
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
16/34 1,080 3,543 Bitumen
Source: Rome's Aeroclub Website[1]

History

The airport was inaugurated in Benito Mussolini's presence in 1928, with the name "Littorio Airport" (the name was chosen by Mussolini himself).[4] Until World War II it was the main civilian airport in Italy, and the base for the Italian national airline Ala Littoria. Inside the perimeter also a racetrack was constructed, named Autodromo del Littorio ("Littorio Racetrack").[6] In 1931 a car/plane challenge took place on the racetrack inside the airport: Vittorio Suster, piloting a Caproni Ca.100, defeated Tazio Nuvolari, who drove an Alfa Romeo 8C 2300.[6]

Heavily damaged by bombardments during the war, the airport was reactivated with the current name in the first postwar years. But just a few years later the commercial activity was transferred to the Ciampino Airport.[7] Since that moment the Rome Urbe Airport turned mostly into a facility for flying club activity, touristic flights and air taxi.[7] It is currently the base for the Aeroclub di Roma (Rome's flying club).[8] In 1995 FAR Airlines carried out several trial landings with a de Havilland Dash 7 STOL airliner acquired from Tyrolean Airways.[9] Their plan to link Urbe to several Italian cities failed when the company ceased operations shortly thereafter. In 2010, thanks to the investment of €800.000 by the ENAC (the civil aviation authority of Italy, that manages the airport) a new terminal was opened for helicopters.[10] On 18 September 1997 the airport was the scene for a U2 concert, part of their Pop Mart Tour: a 70,000 audience attended the event[11]

Access

The Rome Urbe Airport can be reached with public transport by bus or by train: the Nuovo Salario Station (FR1 line) is 400 m from the airport.[12]

References
  1. "AeroClub Roma". aeroclubroma.it. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  2. "Roma Urbe Airport". Roma Urbe Airport. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  3. "Urbe Airport unofficial website". Urbe Airport. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  4. "Apertura di un nuovo aeroporto in Roma per aeroplani e idrovolanti". Scribd.com. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  5. "LIRU/Rome Urbe General Airport Information". acukwik.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  6. "Sfide F1 – Aerei". Digilander.libero.it. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  7. "Untitled Document".
  8. "AeroClub Roma". Aeroclubroma.it. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
  9. Italienische Reisen oder das Ende vom Anfang, Tyrolean Airways INNvolved magazine, 2007
  10. Cecilia Cirinei. "Aeroporto dell' Urbe, nuovo terminal. E una corsia in più fino allo scalo – Repubblica.it » Ricerca". Ricerca.repubblica.it. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  11. "√ in 70.000 a Roma applaudono la prima data italiana degli U2 versione POP MART".
  12. "ATAC S.p.A. | Azienda per la mobilità". Atac.roma.it. 2000-12-18. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
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