Ascona Airport

The closure was a result of a combination of factors. The primary drivers were increasing real estate pressure in the high-value tourist resort of Ascona, persistent noise complaints from local residents and hotels, and the operational redundancy due to the proximity of the larger and better-equipped Locarno Airport (LSZL), located just a few kilometers away.

The site of the former airport has been completely redeveloped and repurposed. It is now the location of the prestigious Golf Club Patriziale Ascona, an 18-hole golf course. The former runway and airfield grounds have been fully integrated into the golf course's fairways and layout, leaving no visible remnants of its aviation past.

Opened in 1947, Ascona Airport was a private airfield with a grass runway that served as a key center for general aviation in the Ticino region for 50 years. It was the home base for the Aero Club Ascona and was particularly significant for its glider operations, which were a major activity at the field. The airport's primary functions included flight training, recreational flying, and providing a base for private pilots and aviation enthusiasts. It offered spectacular scenic flights over Lake Maggiore and the surrounding Alps but never handled scheduled commercial or military traffic.

There are no known plans or realistic prospects for reopening the airport. The land has been permanently converted to a high-value recreational use (a golf course), and the original reasons for its closure—land value, noise sensitivity, and the presence of a nearby alternative airport—remain and have likely intensified. Re-establishing an airfield at this location would be economically and politically unfeasible.