Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport

For the airports serving Goa, India, see Manohar International Airport and Dabolim Airport.

Genoa Christopher Columbus Airport (IATA: GOA, ICAO: LIMJ) — commonly Genoa-Sestri Ponente Airport after the city district where it is located — is an international airport built on an artificial peninsula, 4 NM (7.4 km; 4.6 mi) west^[1] of Genoa, Italy.

Genoa Christopher Columbus Airport Aeroporto internazionale di Genova "Cristoforo Colombo" Genoa-Sestri Ponente Airport Aeroporto internazionale di Genova Genova-Sestri Ponente
IATA: GOA ICAO: LIMJ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	Aeroporto di Genova S.p.A.
Serves	Genoa
Location	Sestri Ponente, Liguria, Italy
Opened	1962; 63 years ago (1962)
Elevation AMSL	4 m / 13 ft
Coordinates	44°24′48″N 008°50′15″E
Website	www.airport.genova.it
Map
GOA/LIMJ Location of airport in Italy Show map of Liguria GOA/LIMJ GOA/LIMJ (Italy) Show map of Italy
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 10/28 2,916 9,564 Bitumen
Statistics (2023)
Passengers 1,279,445 Aircraft Movements 15,609 Cargo (tons) 1,269.1
Source: Italian AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] Statistics from Assaeroporti[2]

Overview

The airport began construction in 1954 and opened in 1962, at a cost of 12.8 billion lira. Building an offshore airport was not a strange or unique solution only for Genoa. Among the most conspicuous examples are other airports in Nice, Venice, Gibraltar, or Hong Kong.

The current terminal building was opened in 1986. It is the most important airport in Liguria and it serves the city and Port of Genoa, as well as a considerable population in Southern Piedmont (Asti and Alessandria Provinces, southern areas of Cuneo Province). In 2018, with 1,455,626 passengers having passed through the airport,^[3] Genoa is the 21st busiest Italian airport by passenger traffic.^{[citation needed]}

It is currently operated by Aeroporto di Genova S.P.A., which has recently upgraded the airport complex. The airport is named after the notable Genoese navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus, who is recalled in the monument La Vela di Colombo.^[4][5] The airport was the manufacturing base for Piaggio Aerospace, an Italian aircraft design and production company.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2022, Volotea announced to close their Genoa base after five years, leading to the cancellation of 14 routes.^[6]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Genoa Airport:

Airlines	Destinations
Air Dolomiti	Munich
ITA Airways	Rome–Fiumicino[7] Seasonal: Olbia[8]
KLM	Amsterdam[9]
Ryanair	Bari,[10] Cagliari,[11] Catania,[10] Charleroi,[10] Lamezia Terme,[10] London–Stansted,[12] Naples,[10] Palermo[10] Seasonal: Brindisi,[13] Bucharest–Otopeni,[10] Manchester[11]
Scandinavian Airlines	Seasonal: Copenhagen[14]
Volotea	Madrid, Naples,[15] Paris–Orly Seasonal: Olbia[citation needed]
Vueling	Barcelona[16]
Wizz Air	Budapest,[17] Kraków,[18] Tirana, Warsaw–Chopin

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at GOA airport. See Wikidata query.

Ground transportation

Car

Genoa Airport can be reached by travelling in the city's inner roads and by the A10 Motorway, with the closest exit being 'Genova Aeroporto'. Taxi stands can be found just outside the airport. For groups of at least 3 people, taxi fares can be fixed between the airport and the city's main railway stations.^{[citation needed]}

Train

The closest railway station to the airport is Genova Sestri Ponente-Aeroporto, served by Trenitalia regional trains to/from Piazza Principe/Brignole, Savona and Ventimiglia. The station is then connected to the airport by a bus service called Airlink, operated by AMT Genova.^{[citation needed]}

Bus

AMT also operates Volabus, a bus service linking the airport with the Genova Piazza Principe and Genova Brignole railway stations. As of 1 August 2020, regional bus operator ATP resumed its Airport Shuttle service between the airport and the other localities in Genoa's Metropolitan City.^{[citation needed]}

Incidents and accidents

• On 25 February 1999, Alitalia Flight 1553, a Dornier 328, operated by Minerva Airlines, operated a flight from Cagliari-Elmas Airport to Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport. On landing on runway 29, the aircraft overshot the end of the runway and crashed into the sea, due to excessive tailwind and late touchdown. Four of the 31 passengers and crew died in the accident.^{[citation needed]}