Villafranca Air Base (Verona Villafranca Airport)
Summary
| Operating Country | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Location | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| Status | ◉ Active |
| Usage | Dual |
| Operating Organization | Italian Air Force |
| Units |
|
Location & Details
| Coordinates | 45.3964°N, 10.8881°E |
| IATA code | VRN |
| ICAO code | LIPX |
Description
Villafranca Air Base is situated 10 km southwest of Verona, Italy, at the junction of the A4 Milan-Venice and A22 Modena-Brenner motorways. The installation was established as a military airfield during the First World War and continued to serve as a military airport during the Second World War. In 1961, the facility initiated civil flight operations. During the Bosnian War, the air base functioned as a staging area for NATO aircraft.
The site is operated by Aeroporto Valerio Catullo di Verona Villafranca S.P.A. Ownership of the facility is divided among the provincial governments of Veneto, Lombardy, Trentino, and Alto Adige/Südtirol.
Infrastructure at the base includes a fog-dispersal system, operational since 2003, which enables landings in visibility as low as 75 meters. The airfield is equipped for ILS Category IIIb approaches. Ground facilities include two separate terminal buildings; Terminal 1 is utilized for departures and Terminal 2 for arrivals. Access to the facility is supported by a road link to the SS12 ring road.