Departure
94%
vs 95% ▼ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Reggio Calabria "Tito Minniti" Airport, known locally as the Aeroporto dello Stretto, sits on the Calabrian coast overlooking the Strait of Messina, a short distance south of the city it serves. Home to instrument-approach capable runways and a long military and civil history dating to 1939, it is a useful and scenic waypoint for VFR pilots exploring the toe of Italy and the Sicilian coastline opposite.
Reggio Calabria Airport, officially Reggio di Calabria "Tito Minniti" Airport and often called the Aeroporto dello Stretto (Airport of the Strait), is a joint civil and military aerodrome serving the city of Reggio Calabria and, across the water, Messina in Sicily. It is operated by Sacal S.p.A., which also manages Lamezia Terme, with air traffic services provided by ENAV. The field is named after Tito Minniti, an Italian Royal Air Force pilot and local war hero, and its coastal location beneath the mountains of the Calabrian toe, looking across the Strait of Messina toward Sicily and Mount Etna, makes it a memorable destination for visiting pilots.
The airport lies on the coast in the locality of Ravagnese, on the southern edge of the city of Reggio Calabria, close to the shoreline of the Strait of Messina. It is bordered by the town of Ravagnese on one side and by the coastal railway line and the sea on the other. Reggio Calabria is roughly 100 kilometres north of Catania across the Strait, placing the field within reach of Sicilian traffic as well as flights along the Calabrian coast.
The airport has two hard-surfaced, lit physical runways. Runway 15/33 is the longer of the pair, with a declared length in the region of 6,379 feet and equipped with an ILS serving runway 33. Runway 11/29 is around 5,726 to 5,729 feet long, also hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 49 feet.
Pilots should expect to work Reggio Calabria Approach on 120.275 MHz and Reggio Calabria Tower on 118.25 MHz. The airport is equipped with an ILS associated with runway 33, supporting instrument approaches to that runway.
The airport sits directly on the coast, with the Strait of Messina and the Sicilian shoreline as prominent visual references to the south and west; the town of Ravagnese abuts the airport boundary, and the coastal railway line running past the field provides a further linear landmark for pilots orienting themselves on approach.
The airfield was built as a military airport and inaugurated in 1939, making it the first airport in Calabria. It became operational for commercial flights in 1947. It was later named after Tito Minniti, a Royal Italian Air Force pilot and war hero who was born in Reggio Calabria. During the Second World War the airfield was used as a base for operations against British forces in the Mediterranean. Sacal S.p.A., which also operates Lamezia Terme, took over management of the airport in the summer of 2017.
Reggio Calabria Airport today handles scheduled and charter services from carriers including ITA Airways and Ryanair, alongside its continuing military presence, which includes the V Reparto di Volo of the Polizia di Stato. Air traffic control is provided by ENAV. Visiting pilots should be aware that this is an airline and military airport rather than a general aviation strip, and prior permission is likely to be required for light aircraft movements.