Canosa di Puglia (BT), IT 🇮🇹 Closed Airport
IT-0680
-
- ft
IT-75
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 41.136989° N, 15.920187° E
Continent: EU
Type: Closed Airport
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The airfield ceased major military operations in mid-1945 following the end of World War II in Europe. It was officially closed and handed over to the Italian government by the Allies on July 25, 1945. While it was later used as a small, private ultralight airfield (aviosuperficie) under the ICAO code IT-0680, this activity also ceased, likely in the early 2000s. It is now definitively closed to all aviation.
The primary closure was due to post-war demobilization. Pantanella was a temporary wartime airfield constructed for a specific strategic purpose. With the end of hostilities in Europe, the base was no longer needed by the Allied forces. The subsequent closure of the private ultralight field was likely due to economic factors, lack of use, or failure to meet regulatory standards.
The site has been almost completely reclaimed for agricultural use. Satellite imagery clearly shows that the land where the runways, taxiways, and hardstands once existed is now covered by cultivated fields and extensive olive groves. While the faint, ghostly outlines of the main runway and perimeter track are still visible from the air, there are no intact aviation facilities remaining. Any buildings have been dismantled or have fallen into ruin, and the land is privately owned farmland.
Pantanella Air Base has significant World War II history as a key component of the Foggia Airfield Complex, a network of bases in southern Italy used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
- **Construction:** It was a temporary heavy bomber airfield built by the US Army Corps of Engineers in late 1943 after the Allied invasion of Italy.
- **Primary Unit:** The airfield was primarily used by the USAAF's Fifteenth Air Force.
- **Operations:** From January 1944 to June 1945, Pantanella was the home base for the 451st Bombardment Group, which flew Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.
- **Missions:** The 451st BG conducted long-range strategic bombing missions from Pantanella against critical enemy targets, including oil refineries, aircraft factories, marshalling yards, and communication centers in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania (notably the Ploiești oil fields), and the Balkans. The base played a vital role in the Allied air campaign to cripple the Axis war machine.
There are no known official plans or prospects for reopening the airfield. Given its complete conversion to productive agricultural land and the lack of any remaining infrastructure, a reopening would require a complete reconstruction and significant investment. The proximity of other established airports, such as Bari (BRI) and Foggia (FOG), makes the redevelopment of Pantanella for any level of aviation highly improbable.