Policoro Airfield

The closure was due to a combination of strategic and economic reasons. The runway was built almost exclusively for the private use of ENI founder Enrico Mattei to access the nearby ANIC petrochemical complex in the Val Basento. After his death in a plane crash in 1962, the primary strategic need for this specific airstrip vanished. As it was never a public commercial airport, it lacked the economic basis for continued operation and maintenance, leading to its eventual abandonment.

The site is completely abandoned and in a state of severe disrepair. The asphalt runway is cracked, degraded, and largely overgrown with weeds, shrubs, and other vegetation. The infrastructure is non-existent, and the area is not secured. Satellite imagery and local reports confirm it is completely unusable for any aviation purposes and is sometimes subject to illegal dumping or used for informal driving.

Known locally as 'Pista Mattei' (Mattei's Runway), its primary historical significance is its direct connection to Enrico Mattei, the influential founder and president of the Italian state oil company ENI. Built in the late 1950s, it served as a private corporate airstrip for Mattei and other ENI executives, facilitating rapid travel to the major industrial hub ENI was developing in Southern Italy. It symbolizes the era of rapid, state-led industrialization in the region. The airfield handled private and corporate light aircraft, most famously Mattei's own Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris jet. It was a tool of power and efficiency for one of post-war Italy's most important figures.

There are no concrete, funded, or official plans for reopening the Policoro airfield. Over the years, various local politicians and business associations have periodically floated proposals to restore it. The stated goals are typically to boost tourism for the Ionian coastal region (Metapontino), serve general aviation and private jets, and provide a base for civil protection services like firefighting aircraft. However, these proposals have never progressed beyond the discussion phase, lacking political consensus and, most importantly, funding. Any potential development is often overshadowed by the focus on the nearby Pisticci Airport (also known as 'Pista Mattei di Pisticci'), which has received more attention and investment for its own revitalization projects.