Salsola Airfield

Lucera (FG), IT 🇮🇹 Closed Airport

ICAO

IT-0632

IATA

-

Elevation

- ft

Region

IT-75

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 41.548333° N, 15.4575° E

Continent: EU

Type: Closed Airport

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

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 25, 2025
Closure Date

Late 1945

Reason for Closure

Military Decommissioning. Salsola Airfield was a temporary wartime facility constructed for a specific military purpose. With the conclusion of World War II in Europe and the subsequent withdrawal of American forces, the strategic need for the base ceased to exist. The airfield was dismantled and the land was returned to the Italian government and local landowners.

Current Status

The site is completely demilitarized and has been returned to its pre-war state of agricultural use. Faint outlines of the former main runway, perimeter track, and aircraft hardstands are still visible in aerial and satellite imagery, etched into the landscape. A significant portion of the former airfield, particularly on its eastern side, is now occupied by a large solar power plant (parco fotovoltaico), taking advantage of the flat, open land.

Historical Significance

Salsola Airfield was a significant World War II heavy bomber airfield and a key component of the Foggia Airfield Complex in Southern Italy. Constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers around September 1943, its primary purpose was to serve as a base for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Fifteenth Air Force. The airfield featured a single main runway made of Pierced Steel Planking (PSP). Its primary operational units were:

- **461st Bombardment Group:** Flew B-24 Liberator heavy bombers from Salsola from February 1944 to April 1945.
- **484th Bombardment Group:** Also flew B-24 Liberators from the field from April 1944 to May 1945.

From Salsola, these groups conducted long-range strategic bombing missions against critical enemy targets, including oil refineries, aircraft factories, marshalling yards, and military installations in Germany, Austria, Poland, Hungary, and the Balkans. The airfield played a crucial role in the Allied strategic bombing campaign that crippled the Axis war machine.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Salsola Airfield for aviation purposes. The site's complete conversion to agricultural land and the construction of a large, modern solar farm on the property make any future aviation use highly improbable. It is considered a permanently closed and repurposed historical site.

Nearby Airports

Lucera Airfield
IT-0628
Lucera (FG), IT
Closed Airport
~6 km away
Celone Airfield
IT-0624
Foggia (FG), IT
Closed Airport
~8 km away
Triolo Airfield
IT-0641
San Severo (FG), IT
Closed Airport
~9 km away
Eliporto
IT-0581
San Severo, IT
Heliport
~11 km away
Riuniti Foggia Hospital Heliport
IT-0779
Foggia (FG), IT
Heliport
~11 km away
Sterparone Airfield
IT-0637
Torremaggiore (FG), IT
Closed Airport
~14 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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