Sant'Omero (TE), IT 🇮🇹 Closed Airport
IT-0432
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433 ft
IT-65
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 42.80427° N, 13.794678° E
Continent: EU
Type: Closed Airport
Keywords: Val Vibrata TE03
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Approximately 2011-2012. While an exact official date is not readily available, analysis of historical satellite imagery shows the airfield was intact in 2010 but the construction of a large solar farm on the site was underway or completed by 2013, indicating closure occurred in the intervening period.
Economic repurposing of the land. The primary reason for the closure was the sale and redevelopment of the property for a more profitable venture. The site was converted into a large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic park (solar farm), which now covers the former runway and surrounding areas. This type of land-use change is common for privately-owned, smaller airfields where the real estate becomes more valuable for industrial or energy development than for aviation.
The site is no longer an airfield. It is currently occupied by a large solar power plant. The distinct outline of the former grass/dirt runway is partially visible in satellite views but is now almost entirely covered by rows of solar panels. Some of the original buildings, such as hangars, may still be standing on the periphery of the solar farm, possibly repurposed for maintenance or left derelict.
The Aviosuperficie 'Val Vibrata 2' was a small, private airfield primarily serving the local general aviation and recreational flying community. Its significance was regional, not national. It functioned as a base for:
- **Ultralight (ULM) Aircraft:** A significant portion of its traffic consisted of ultralight aircraft, a popular form of recreational aviation in Italy.
- **General Aviation:** It accommodated single-engine piston aircraft for private pilots.
- **Flight Training:** The airfield was likely home to a flying club or school ('Club Volo Val Vibrata') that provided flight instruction.
- **Local Hub:** It served as a social and operational hub for aviation enthusiasts in the Val Vibrata valley and the wider Teramo province, providing hangar space and a base for local flights. It did not handle any scheduled commercial or significant cargo operations.
Effectively nil. The prospect of reopening the airfield is extremely unlikely. The presence of a significant and costly infrastructure project (the solar farm) on the land makes a return to aviation activities financially and logistically unfeasible. Reopening would require the complete removal of the multi-megawatt power plant, an improbable event. There are no known plans or public discussions about reverting the site to an airfield.
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