Rome—Ciampino International Airport "G. B. Pastine" (Italian: Aeroporto Internazionale di Roma–Ciampino "G. B. Pastine") (IATA: CIA, ICAO: LIRA), is the secondary international airport of Rome, the capital of Italy, after Rome-Fiumicino Airport "Leonardo da Vinci". It is a joint civilian, commercial and military airport situated 6.5 NM (12.0 km) south southeast of central Rome, just outside the Greater Ring Road (Italian: Grande Raccordo Anulare or GRA) the circular motorway around the city.
The airport is an important hub for many low-cost carriers and general aviation traffic. It also hosts a military airport and the headquarters of the 31º Stormo and the 2nd Reparto Genio of the Italian Air Force.
The airport is named after Giovan Battista Pastine, an Italian airship pilot who served in World War I. Ciampino Airport was opened in 1916 and is one of the oldest airports still in operation. During World War II, the airport was captured by Allied forces in June 1944, and afterward became a United States Army Air Forces military airfield. Although primarily used as a transport base by C-47 Skytrain aircraft of the 64th Troop Carrier Group, the Twelfth Air Force 86th Bombardment Group flew A-36 Apache combat aircraft from the airport during the immediate period after its capture from German forces. It was Rome's main airport until 1960, with traffic amounting to over 2 million passengers per year. After the opening of Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Ciampino handled almost exclusively charter and executive flights for more than three decades. However, the terminal facilities were extended at the beginning of 2007 to accommodate the growing number of low-cost carrier operations.
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