Florence Airport (FLR), Aeroporto di Firenze-Peretola, bears the name of the famous compatriot, traveler and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. The terminal is located on the northwestern edge of the capital of the Italian region of Tuscany, the city of Florence, at a distance of 4 km from it. This is the second largest air gate in terms of serviced passenger traffic in the region after Pisa International Airport.
History of origin and development
The first air terminal in Florence was created in the Campo di Marte district in 1910. Then the military authorities allowed the use of the field for "experiments in air navigation." So, the first airport in Florence is Campo di Marte. He remained the only one for many years. However, as the city expanded, residential buildings grew around the air gates, and the station's capacities were no longer sufficient to service the next generation aircraft.
In 1928, on the plain between Florence and Sesto Fiorentino, the place where they began construction was chosen. Already in 1938–1939 an asphalt runway was laid out with a width of 60 and a length of 1000 meters. In the 1940s, the new Florence Airport - Peretola - welcomed the first passenger flights. Two decades later, Alitalia allocated 2 regular routes under the air terminal: Rome-Florence-Venice and Rome-Florence-Milan.
In the early 1980s, the reconstruction of airport facilities was started. In 1984, the AdF management company completed construction work, extending the glide path to 1,400 meters and lighting it. The latest navigation system was installed and the airport terminal was restored. In September 1986, regular flights resumed. Since then, the number of sides and passengers has been constantly increasing.
New time
In 1990, the airport was renamed in honor of Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian merchant and cartographer. In 1994, a parking lot was opened at the entrance to the Florence airport. In 1996, the runway was extended by another 250 meters, AdF finances the further expansion of the departure zone. Today, the new terminal has 15 registration desks and covers a total of 1200 square meters, 770 of which are intended for public use.
Since 2012, the terminal is connected by regular flights with the largest cities in Europe. Among them are Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Bucharest, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Madrid, Munich, Paris and Vienna. Florence Airport also provides numerous domestic flights to various destinations of the country.
Transfer
The airport terminal is connected to the city by ABusitalia SITA Nord shuttle bus lines that run along the main lines (A1 and A11) to Santa Maria Novella Central Station (SMN). The bus fare is 6 EUR one way. Round trip - 10 euros. You can buy a ticket only in 1 direction directly from the driver. Double tickets are also sold at bus stations, nearby newsstands or cafes.
The journey takes about 20 minutes, sometimes a little longer if traffic is overloaded. Flights depart every half hour from 05:30 to 20:30, including holidays and weekends. After 20:30 the interval of movement is 1 time in 1 hour to 23:45. At 1 am, the last transfer to Florence Airport departs. How to get to the city after midnight or if you don’t want to take the bus?
The best option for this combination of circumstances is to use the services of taxi drivers. Find them near the terminal is not difficult. They are also available in the center of Florence. The distance in time takes about 15 minutes. Fixed rate rates start at 20 €. At night and on holidays, a little more expensive trip to Florence Airport.
How to get to the airport terminal on your own? If the traveler is by car, then from the city center you need to go onto the road leading to Via della Scala. At the intersection with Via Francesco Baracca, take a smooth right turn onto Viale L. Gori, which leads directly to the airport terminal.