Naples-Capodichino International Airport () is the international airport serving Naples, its metropolitan city and the Campania region. Located north-northeast of the city in Naples, within the Capodichino area of the San Pietro a Patierno district, the airport is officially named Aeroporto di Napoli-Capodichino Ugo Niutta, after decorated WWI pilot Ugo Niutta.
In 2025, the airport handled 13,271,522 passengers, making it the fourth-busiest airport in Italy and the busiest in Southern Italy, according to the Assaeroporti rankings. The airport serves as a base for easyJet, Ryanair, Volotea and Wizz Air.
History Origins The former Campo di Marte, established by Joachim Murat in 1816 and later known as Piazza d'Armi, began to be used for the first aviation experiments. The flat, 44-hectare site, diamond-shaped and situated 72 metres above sea level, was ideally suited for the aircraft that were then taking their first steps.
The history of Capodichino Airport began in the early 20th century. On 5 May 1910, three foreign aviators and one Italian aviator carried out the first aircraft demonstrations on the then Campo di Marte, a large flat area that had previously been used during the Bourbon period for military training and displays. Sporting aviation events continued to be held until 1913.
On 23 April 1912, at the initiative of the Circolo Aeronautico Napoletano, Rosina Ferrario, the first Italian woman to obtain a pilot's licence and the seventh woman in the world to do so, took flight. During the exhibition, while flying over Naples, she dropped red carnations as a tribute to the city.
Following the bombing of Naples on the night of 10–11 March 1918 by the German Zeppelin LZ 104, which departed from Bulgaria and dropped of bombs, striking the Pattison shipyard, the city centre and the Ilva Bagnoli steelworks, causing around thirty deaths, it was decided to expand the airfield. The event led to a parliamentary inquiry regarding the city's inadequate air defence and to measures aimed at strengthening the airport.
In 1919, a civil air terminal was opened to serve 17 airliners operated by various airlines.
Military airport
After being used as an airfield during the final year of World War I, it was developed as a military airport under the name Campo di Marte Military Airport of the Regia Aeronautica and was intended to serve as the home of the Accademia Aeronautica. Two hangars were built next to the entrance, which at the time was located on Via Nuovo Tempio, one of them being capable of accommodating a small airship. The airport was named after aviator Ugo Niutta on 19 June 1921.
Following the end of the Great War, the Regia Aeronautica took possession of the airport and carried out an initial extension of the runway. By Royal Decree No. 444 of 1 March 1925, several plots of land were expropriated. A new entrance was opened from Piazza Capodichino (now Piazza Giuseppe Di Vittorio).
From 1935 to 1939, the airport was home to the Scuola specialisti dell'Aeronautica Militare. During the late 1930s and early 1940s, the runway was further developed along a new alignment.
During World War II, the airport hosted the 22º Gruppo autonomo caccia terrestre, organised into four squadrons (359th, 362nd, 369th and 371st Squadrons), operating a mixed fleet of Macchi C.202 Folgore, Reggiane Re.2001, Macchi C.200 and Fiat CR.42CN fighter aircraft for night operations. At the end of February, the unit also received Dewoitine D.520 fighters. The 371st Fighter Squadron of the Regia Aeronautica was equipped with Macchi C.202 Folgore aircraft, while in March the first Reggiane Re.2005 Sagittario fighters arrived.
Following the Allied landings, the airport was used extensively by Allied air forces during the Italian campaign. It was first used by No. 324 Wing RAF, with its five squadrons of Supermarine Spitfires, in 1943, and was subsequently taken over by the United States Army Air Forces, then the air component of the United States Army. The Twelfth Air Force used the airport as a base for the following units: 79th Fighter Group, January 1944 – May 1944, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 47th Bombardment Group, 22 March 1944 – 25 April 1944, Douglas A-20 Havoc 33rd Fighter Group, 15 April 1944 – 28 May 1944, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 332nd Fighter Group, 15 April 1944 – 28 March 1944, Bell P-39 Airacobra
After the combat units were withdrawn, the Air Transport Command began using the airport as a major hub for cargo aircraft and for the transit of aircraft and personnel returning from operations.
In the spring of 1946, the Italian Air Force assigned the 10º Gruppo to the airport, where it remained until 16 June 1956. In 1948, the Allied authorities carried out a further extension of the runway, increasing its length to 2,100 metres.
On 1 September 1953, the 12º Gruppo caccia also arrived and remained until 16 June 1956. From 1948 to 1956, the airport was home to the 4º Stormo and subsequently the 4th Interceptor Air Brigade. In 1957, the 86th Anti-Submarine Group arrived, equipped with Grumman S2F Tracker aircraft, and remained there until 1970.
From the immediate post-war years onwards, Capodichino also progressively became an important maintenance centre for the Italian Air Force. This period began on 1 January 1948 with the establishment of the 5th Aircraft Technical Department (5º Reparto Tecnico Aeromobili, 5º R.T.A.) as part of the organisational restructuring of the Italian Air Force. On 1 November 1985, it was redesignated as the 5th Aircraft Maintenance Group (5º Gruppo Manutenzione Velivoli, 5º G.M.V.).
During this period, the unit was entrusted with the maintenance and overhaul of a wide range of training aircraft, including the Lockheed T-33 and the Aermacchi MB-326 operated by the Basic and Advanced Jet Flying School at Amendola. Following the retirement of the Aermacchi MB-326 in 1996, the unit's mission was redefined from a third-level aircraft maintenance centre to the management of Air Ground Equipment.
Civilian airport
From 1950, Capodichino Airport was also opened to civilian air traffic. To accommodate this new role, the runway was further extended to . From that date, the airport underwent continuous development, culminating in its privatisation in 1997 and an investment programme worth €145 million.
Privatisation and Gesac In August 1997, the public shareholders sold 35% of their respective holdings to British Airports Authority, a British group that was a leading airport operator worldwide. With the acquisition of the majority shareholding by BAA, Naples became the first Italian airport to be privatised. The privatisation stemmed from the awareness among the public shareholders (the Municipality and Province of Naples) and the company's management of the strategic importance of private-sector management for the development of both the airport and the surrounding region. In the same year, Terminal 2 was opened; it was later demolished in 2015.
In May 1999, BAA transferred a 5% shareholding to Interporto Campano S.p.A. (a participation now held through Aliport S.r.l.).
Recent developments
In June 2006, the ADI Consortium (Airport Development Investment Ltd.), led by the Spanish group Ferrovial, acquired ownership of BAA and became the controlling shareholder of the airport management company.
On 21 December 2010, following an agreement signed on 1 October, the transfer of the majority shareholding in Gesac was completed, marking the definitive transfer of control from the Spanish group Ferrovial to the Italian infrastructure fund manager F2i.
On 6 February 2015, F2i signed an agreement for the sale of 49% of F2i Aeroporti S.p.A. to a consortium composed of Ardian (60%) and Crédit Agricole Assurances (40%). Following this transaction, F2i Aeroporti changed its corporate name to 2i Aeroporti S.p.A..
On 1 March 2016, the airport inaugurated the Archaeological Airport (Aeroporto Archeologico), a permanent exhibition created by Gesac and the Regional Superintendence of Campania in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Culture. The exhibition includes works such as statues of Nike, Hermes, Triptolemus and Urania from the archaeological museums of Naples and Capua, introducing travellers to Italy's cultural heritage upon arrival at the airport.
On 24 October 2019, the merger of Aeroporto di Salerno S.p.A. into Gesac S.p.A. was formally completed, creating an integrated and complementary airport system for the Campania region.
In June 2005, Eurofly began seasonal services to New York City using Airbus A330s; this was the airport's first transatlantic flight. In 2010, the airline merged with Meridiana to form Meridiana Fly, which maintained the route. The service ceased in 2017, ahead of Meridiana Fly's rebranding as Air Italy. In May 2019, United Airlines launched seasonal flights to Newark aboard a Boeing 767.
From May 2022, transatlantic services to the United States resumed, operated by United Airlines, and continued until October.
In 2023, United Airlines expanded its operations by adding a second daily flight to Newark from June to October.
In 2024, the two daily United Airlines flights to Newark were joined by direct services to New York–JFK and Atlanta operated by Delta Air Lines, direct services to Philadelphia and Chicago O'Hare operated by American Airlines, and, for the first time, a direct service to Canada, with flights to Montréal operated by Air Canada.
Infrastructure Airfield
The airport has a single runway (orientation: 06/24 – – resistance: PCN90/F/B/W/T – assistance: PAPI, ILS) in bituminous conglomerate and asphalt concrete, with one taxiway. It is equipped with PAPI and ILS systems. According to ICAO classification, the runway falls within category 4D and is capable of supporting a load up to PCN 90/F/B/W/T, making it suitable for accommodating medium and large aircraft. The magnetic orientation is 056°/236°.
+ Runway at Naples International Airport NE Length Width SW 06 → ← 24 Terminal area and apron
Both runway thresholds are equipped with PAPI systems for visual glide path guidance and Category I ILS installations, ensuring safe landings even in reduced visibility conditions. The taxiway system consists of two main taxiways: the southern taxiway (TS) and the northern taxiway (TN). The latter is approximately 23 metres (75 ft) wide and classified as PCN 78/F/B/X, while TS has similar characteristics but a narrower width of approximately 15 metres (49 ft). The two taxiways are connected to the runway and aprons through numerous connecting taxiways designated by the letters A to M, ensuring smooth aircraft movements.
The airport site covers an area of approximately 233 hectares, of which 8 hectares are occupied by the passenger terminal and parking facilities. An adjacent area hosts a United States military base covering a further 41 hectares. The airport is situated at an elevation of above mean sea level, with a transition altitude of 8,000 feet (approximately ).
The airport consists of three aircraft aprons: Apron 1 comprises 26 stands, of which 6 are self-manoeuvring stands and 20 are nose-in stands. Apron 2 comprises 6 nose-in stands. Apron 3 comprises 4 nose-in stands equipped with an A-VDGS (Advanced Visual Docking Guidance System). The airfield includes the main southern taxiway TS, an additional northern taxiway TN, and the connecting taxiways A, B, BC, C, D, E, F, G, H, L and M.
In the past, these areas were divided into three principal aprons, known as Apron 1, Apron 2 and Apron 3, equipped with Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS). The taxiway and apron infrastructure is designed to support a maximum wheel load of approximately 61,600 pounds (more than 28,000 kilograms), making the airport compatible with most commercial aircraft currently in service.