San Pancrazio Air Base

Military conversion and repurposing. The airfield was not closed due to economic failure, lack of traffic, or an accident. Instead, after its role as a satellite airfield became obsolete post-WWII, the Italian military identified the large, secure, and remote area as ideal for a different purpose. It was decommissioned as an aviation facility and converted into a ground training area and firing range for the Italian Army.

The site is currently an active military installation known as the 'Poligono di Tiro Occasionale di San Pancrazio' (Occasional Shooting Range of San Pancrazio). It is operated by the Esercito Italiano (Italian Army) and is used for live-fire exercises, weapons training, and tactical drills by various army units (such as the 'Pinerolo' Brigade) as well as other state armed corps like the Carabinieri and Polizia di Stato. The former runway and taxiways provide a long, clear, and safe area for these ground-based training activities. The site is restricted, fenced, and not accessible to the public.

The San Pancrazio Air Base was constructed during World War II as a 'campo di aviazione' (airfield) for the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force). Its primary role was not as a main operational base but as a satellite or auxiliary airfield within the strategically important Salento peninsula. This region hosted several key air bases (like Brindisi, Lecce, and Grottaglie). San Pancrazio's function was to support these main bases by serving as a dispersal field to protect aircraft from enemy bombing raids, an emergency landing strip, and potentially for staging or training operations. Its existence was part of a wider network of military airfields designed to control the Southern Adriatic and Ionian Seas during the war.

There are no known or publicly discussed plans or prospects for reopening the San Pancrazio site as an airport. Its current, active, and long-standing use as a military firing range makes any such proposal unfeasible. Furthermore, the Salento region is already well-served by two major airports: Brindisi Airport (BDS) for commercial and civilian traffic, and Taranto-Grottaglie Airport (TAR), which handles cargo, industrial testing, and is a designated spaceport. The existence of these established facilities negates any strategic or economic need for reopening San Pancrazio for aviation.