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March 26, 2019Pisa Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
at - last modified on June 1, 2019
Pisa Intl. Airport (PSA/LIRP) is a military airport open to civil traffic and home of the prestigious 46 Aerobrigata. It is the main airport of Tuscany, located along the Tuscany coast near the famous tourist city of Pisa and connected the regional capital Florence with the highway FI-PI-LI. The airport is located very close to the city center easily reachable by foot or by public transport or by car. It is managed by the private company Toscana Aeroporti SPA and first by the Società Società aeroport Toscani SAT.
The terminal has been active since the end of the 60s years but reached its maximum development with the construction of the base of the low-cost airline Ryanair. The airport is connected to almost all European locations and to some tourist sites at the Mediterranean Sea and in North Africa and a direct flight to Doha operated by Qatar. The airliners operating at the airport are mainly low-cost airlines (Ryanair, Easy Jet, Pobeda, Transavia, Wizz Air Vueling, S7, Eurowings, Jet2.com) and scheduled airlines (Air Dolomiti-Lufthansa, British AW, Alitalia, Qatar, Turkish, Aer Lingus, Aegean). However there are frequent cargo flights (DHL, ASL and other cargo airlines) and a lot of Private and Government. To date, passenger traffic has reached 5.500.000 passengers a year (December 2018). The activity of the Italian Air Force is carried out by the 46AB with airplanes C130J and C27J. The airport of Pisa undergone in the summer a considerable increase in flights mainly due to tour operators that connect it to the Scandinavian countries (Norwegian and SAS) and the United Kingdom.
However, being a military base, you must respect the safety distances from the fences avoiding taking pictures of the military installations and infrastructures.
For an effective view of real-time flights visit pisa-airport.com.
Guide was written by Francesco Della Santa and Francesco Palla (local spotters). Last update March 2019.
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| Airport Informations | Runways | 04R/22L | 2.993m (9.819 ft) | |
| 04L/22R | 2.792m (9.160 ft) | |||
| Terminals | One terminal for all operations | |||
| Spotting Informations | Ladder | Just needed at spot #1 for the line up. | ||
| Car/Public Transport | RWY 04 best by car or by public transport with bus N8 from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II direction to Coltano. RWY 22 can easily be reached from the terminal. | |||
| Restrooms | The last two spots are next to the terminal. All other are outside of “civilisation”. | |||
| Drinks/Food | Some restaurants near the southern spots and in the terminal for the northern two spots. | |||
| Hotels | There is not really an airport hotel. Best choice is the city which is very close. | |||
| Season | Good all year roung but much more traffic during the summer holiday season. | |||
| Runway Usage | 04R/22L | Used in both directions whilst 04R is dominating | ||
| 04L/22R | Actually not active and used as a taxiway. | |||
 | Spot #1 – Farm Road – LineUp 04R |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the city/airport drive southwards on the SS1 and after you have passed the airport boundaries turn right at the sign to “Coltano”. Cross the highway and take the next left into “Via Enrico Pezzi” a small road that lead to some farmers. Drive till the end and stop the car here before the last little bridge on the side of the road. Parking after this bridge is permitted and often the military guard at the airport does not allow to stay too close. By public transport with bus N8 from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II direction to Coltano and exit as marked on the map and walk along the Via Enrico Pezzi to the spots. |
| WHAT | Aircraft taxing and lining up runway 04R for take off. A small ladder is needed to photograph over the fence. |
| TIME | 09:00 until sunset. Be aware of heat haze expecially during summer and on hot days. |
| MISC. | As a military airport do not photograph military installations and do not stop on the bridge in the presence of armed forces inside or outside the airport. Absolutely forbidden to touch the alarmed fences. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm E190=180mm; 738=150mm |
 | Spot #2 – Field – 04R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Same direction as #1 but before the last bridge turn right on the small path through the fields to photograph the arrivals. |
| WHAT | All aircraft landing for 04R in the morning. |
| TIME | From the sunrise untill 13:00 in the winter. From sunrise until 12:00 in summer. |
| MISC. | You are at the edge of a field so respect private property as much as possible and not go too close to the railway for safety reasons. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm 772=80mm; A320=140mm |
 | Spot #3 – Field – 22L departures |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Continue on the path from spot #2 along the railway until you find your prefered position. |
| WHAT | All take offs from RWY 22L, especially wide body and cargo planes. |
| TIME | From the sunrise untill 13:00 all year round. |
| MISC. | You are at the edge of a field so respect private property as much as possible and not go too close to the railway for safety reasons. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm 744=80mm; C17=180mm |
 | Spot #4 – Field – 04R arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | Same direction as #1 but before the last bridge turn left on the small path through the fields to photograph the arrivals. |
| WHAT | All aircraft landing for 04R or heavy departures on 22L in the afternoon. |
| TIME | From 16:00 until the sunset in the spring and the summer. No good light in the rest of the year |
| MISC. | You are at the edge of a field so respect private property as much as possible and not go too close to the railway for safety reasons. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm BBJ=140mm; 763=100mm |
 | Spot #5 – Rental Car Parking |
|---|---|
| WHERE | This spot is on the parking lot of the airports car rental agencies AVIS, HERTZ etc. Parking is not possible at this location so stay at the terminal or at P4 (spot 6) and walk from there to this position which will take approximate 5 minutes. |
| WHAT | All aircraft landing for 22L in the afternoon with strong south winds. |
| TIME | 4.00 pm until the sunset |
| MISC. | This is a private area with all the parked car rentals so pay attention. Everything you need is within the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm |
 | Spot #6 – Parking P4 – 22L arrivals |
|---|---|
| WHERE | From the former spot follow the signs and continue the road along the perimeter for another five minutes. It is on the airport’s parking P4 which is the Low-Cost parking area. It is located 900 metres from the terminal and is served by a free-of-charge shuttle bus from 5:00 AM until the time of arrival/departure of the last flight of the day. A minimum of 3 runs per hour are guaranteed throughout this time period. |
| WHAT | Landing for 22L with strong south windy days and take-off 04R in normal conditions |
| TIME | Sunrise untill 01 pm in winter – sunrise until 12 pm in the summer |
| MISC. | Parking fee is 8 EUR a day. Everything you need is within the terminal. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm 752=130mm; A320=150mm |
