The Italian Aerospace Information Web
by Aeromedia - corso Giambone 46/18 - 10135 Torino (Italy)
Improved Airport for the Aosta Valley
With a dedicated press conference at the HotelAlp in Saint-Christophe (Aosta Valley, Italy), the local Regional Council and AVDA (Aeroporto Valle d’Aosta), the managing authority of the “Corrado Gex” airport, announced the details of the development plan, aimed to increase commercial traffic.
The Aosta airport, located at 1,850 ft, was inaugurated in 1959, as a private strip limited to national sport aviation. In 1987 the airfield was improved and upgraded to Category 2C status. Finally, in 1995, it was authorized to handle domestic and international commercial activity.
At the moment the “Corrado Gex” airport, named after the late Italian mountain-flight pioneer, suffers two main limitations: no instrumentation for night-flights and a runway too short to accept passenger aircraft larger than 32-seat types. Air Vallée, the only Aosta-based airline, is forced to operate their Dornier 328 Jets within the daylight hours, a particularly short period during the winter season.
If the Aosta airport was able to handle 80-seater regional airliners (such as BAe 146 and derivates, Fokker F27 and 50, ATR 42/72 and Bombardier Q200-Q400 Series) without operational limitations, annual passenger record could rise, according to a conservative estimate, from 8.000 in 2005 to about 24.000 by 2015.
The Regional administration is fully committed to finance and implement all the necessary solutions to improve the operability of the airport, thus ensuring an adequate level of commercial traffic. A detailed master plan prepared by Tecno Engineering and approved in 2004, traces the complete improvement process to be implemented in the period 2005-2015, at an estimated cost of 30 million Euro.
In a first phase (2006-2008) the single runway will be widened and lengthened from 1,240 to 1,499 m, with insertions at both ends of the runway. Also the taxiway will be lengthened, virtually matching the length of the new runway. By relocating the local Aero Club facilities further North, the apron surface will be significantly expanded. Due to the impending works, the airport will be closed to all fixed-wing flying activities for the most of 2007.
Before 2009, a series of navigation systems and related equipment will be bought and installed, such as D-VOR/DME, LLZ/DME, NDB, GP Glide Path system, two acoustic markers and lead-in lights. During the following years a new and larger air terminal will be erected, replacing the chalet-type one used today. A number of new hangars will host maintenance activities, commercial operators and the local helicopter rescue unit.
The press conference was concluded by Air Vallée which announced the intention to strengthen its fleet with two new airliners of undisclosed type, and the operning of new routes, which however do not include the Aosta airport at the moment.
In the picture: Control tower and office building of the “Corrado Gex” airport, Aosta/Italy (2006). (Aeromedia)
(Aeromedia, January 2006)