Bolzano-Bozen – Dolomites Airport turns 100

Named in honour of aviation pioneer Francesco Baracca and commercially known as Bolzano-Dolomites Airport, the airport has always represented an infrastructure of significant strategic and logistical importance for the region. Located south of the centre of Bolzano-Bozen, it occupies a strategic position close to the A22 Brenner motorway, State Road 12, and the Verona–Innsbruck railway line. This exceptional proximity to major transport networks allows arriving travellers to reach the region’s tourist destinations in a short time. At the same time, the airport has traditionally played an irreplaceable social and territorial safety role.

As the only gateway by air to the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the airport hosts the main operational base for the Civil Protection helicopter rescue services, aircraft belonging to the Italian Army’s 4th “Altair” Army Aviation Regiment, as well as units of the Guardia di Finanza and Fire Brigade. The apron infrastructure and runway serve as a vital coordination centre for complex mountain rescue operations, wildfire response, and meteorological and hydrological monitoring across the central and eastern Alpine region.

Officially inaugurated in 1926, the airport was originally established exclusively for military and training purposes. During the Second World War, it acquired considerable logistical importance for Axis connections and operations across the Alpine region, and was subjected to heavy air raids. The limited length of the original runway and the complex topography of the Adige Valley nevertheless represented a significant technical constraint on the development of commercial air traffic for decades. Over the years, the facility underwent a complex transformation, evolving from a military and general aviation airport into a modern Alpine city airport and a key pillar of tourist accessibility to the Dolomites.

The gradual conversion of the airport towards civilian and commercial purposes began in the post-war period, but it was only in the 1990s, when operational management came under the control of the public company ABD Airport, that the first regular scheduled services to Rome were launched.

Following a local referendum in 2016 and the subsequent withdrawal of financial support by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, ABD Airport was fully privatised in 2019 and acquired by a group of local entrepreneurs led by Josef Gostner.

This new private ownership gave rise to SkyAlps, the first airline with entirely South Tyrolean capital. By operating a standardised and efficient fleet of De Havilland Dash 8-Q400 turboprop aircraft – particularly well suited to short runways and approach procedures in mountainous terrain – the airline permanently reopened the airport to scheduled passenger traffic.

The airport now operates a dense network of year-round and seasonal routes connecting South Tyrol directly with major airports in northern and southern Italy, as well as numerous European capitals and tourist destinations across northern, central, and southern Europe.

Today, Bolzano-Dolomites Airport is a prime example of an intermodal city airport, generating significant added value for the province and designed to serve high-end leisure, business, and sports tourism. The airport’s strategic future is firmly focused on cutting-edge technological innovation and on achieving European leadership in aviation sustainability and decarbonisation.

A key objective is the gradual transformation of the airport into Italy’s first experimental hub for green hydrogen-powered and electric aviation, in close synergy with the Bolzano Hydrogen Centre located next to the motorway.

Extensive energy-efficiency programmes have already been launched. These include the installation of large photovoltaic systems for the terminal’s own energy production, the implementation of strict systems to monitor and reduce noise pollution to protect neighbouring residential areas, and the full electrification of all ground-support vehicles operating on the apron.

Winter season connections

Winter season connections can be viewed and booked at skyalps.com and via the SkyAlps app:

• Antwerp – up to 4 times a week
• Berlin – up to 5 times a week
• Billund – once a week
• Düsseldorf – up to 6 times a week
• Dresden – twice a week
• Gothenburg – once a week
• Hamburg – up to 5 times a week
• Hanover – twice a week
• Copenhagen – up to 3 times a week
• London Gatwick – up to 4 times a week
• Paris CDG – twice a week
• Prague – twice a week
• Warsaw – once a week

Image: Courtesy of Bolzano Airport