Policoro Airfield

Policoro (MT), IT 🇮🇹 Closed Airport

ICAO

IT-0446

IATA

-

Elevation

- ft

Region

IT-77

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 40.170967° N, 16.6628° E

Continent: EU

Type: Closed Airport

Keywords: MTPOL Campo di Volo Policoro

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 25, 2025
Closure Date

The airfield did not have a single, definitive closure date. It fell into disuse gradually following the death of its primary user, Enrico Mattei, in 1962. Its activity significantly declined throughout the 1970s and it has been considered abandoned for several decades, likely being officially removed from active flight registers in the late 20th century.

Reason for Closure

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.

Current Status

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.

Historical Significance

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.

Reopening Prospects

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.

Nearby Airports

Policoro Saline Flying Field
IT-0447
Policoro (MT), IT
Small Airport
~8 km away
Pisticci Flying Field
IT-0178
Pisticci (MT), IT
Small Airport
~25 km away
Enrico Mattei Airfield
IT-0177
Pisticci (MT), IT
Small Airport
~30 km away
Marina di Ginosa Heliport
LIBH
Marina di Ginosa, IT
Heliport
~34 km away
AIRBAS Airfield
IT-0164
Montescaglioso (MT), IT
Closed Airport
~44 km away
Natile Airfield
IT-0229
Ginosa (TA), IT
Small Airport
~47 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

User Comments Leave a comment

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ERRORE Posted by Pugliapilot on October 22, 2020

il campo di Policoro non e' quello che hai segnalato tu nella mappa queste sono delle coordinare sbagliate apparte che sono andato a vedere sullo stradario di google map e non vedo ne i cinesini sulla pista e non c'e' traccia di manica a vento e non c'e' neanche traccia di hangar. per favore mettee le coordinate esatte prima di postare un nuovo campo volo altrimeti non solo rischiate la non visibilita' ma rischiate anche di far atterrare i piloti su posti sbagliati causando anche grossi problemi. Ora te le do' io le coordinate esatte del campo volo di policoro.