Pisa Airport

At Pisa Airport, the Ryanair jet from Berlin lands on the same runway from which a gray C-130J Hercules of the Italian Air Force takes off a few minutes later. Galileo Galilei is Tuscany’s most important airport and at the same time the home of tactical airlift for the Aeronautica Militare. That makes it appealing for spotters – and calls for a bit more tact than at a purely civil field.

A military airfield with civil traffic

Legally and organizationally, Pisa is above all one thing: a base of the Aeronautica Militare. The grounds belong to it, it provides air traffic control in the tower, and it has the 46ª Brigata Aerea stationed here. Civil traffic shares the runways and airspace but has its own area with a terminal and apron. Since June 1, 2015, this part has been operated by Toscana Aeroporti S.p.A., which is also responsible for Florence Airport.

This dual role is not unusual in Italy, but it shapes everyday life. Between the low-cost departures, military transports, training flights and occasionally government or special aircraft slot into the traffic. At the same time, large parts of the grounds are a military security area – with all the consequences for fences, access roads and cameras.

From airfield to Galileo Galilei

The history of the field goes back a long way. In 1911, the brothers Ugo and Guido Antoni set up an airfield at San Giusto, at that time still far outside the city gates, to test their own designs. A military flight school was added as early as 1914, and in the 1930s Pisa became the base of the 46º Stormo – the unit from which today’s airlift brigade emerged.

In the Second World War, the airfield was heavily bombed, and toward the end of the war units of the US 15th Air Force used it. In the 1950s, the Air Force built two runways for its new Fairchild C-119 “Flying Boxcar” transports and reorganized the unit into the 46ª Aerobrigata Trasporti. The civil airport only got its own terminal building in the 1960s.

The airport is named after Galileo Galilei, the city’s most famous son. Officially the field is called Pisa-San Giusto, but in everyday use you hear almost only “Galilei” or simply “Pisa.”

The 46ª Brigata Aerea: Hercules and Spartan

For many spotters, the military side is the real reason for a visit. The 46ª Brigata Aerea “Silvio Angelucci” is the backbone of tactical airlift for the Italian Air Force and has several flying groups. Its mission ranges from troop and materiel transport through airdrops to evacuations and urgent medical flights within the country – for example when seriously ill children have to be flown to specialist clinics at short notice.

In August 2000, the brigade received its first Lockheed Martin C-130J. Since then, the “Super Hercules” has been the workhorse in Pisa – both in the standard length and as the stretched C-130J-30, plus a tanker version as the KC-130J. The fleet is complemented by the twin-engine Leonardo C-27J Spartan, which replaced the older G.222 in Italy. The manufacturer behind the Spartan is introduced on the Leonardo page, and the Hercules family on the Lockheed Martin page.

How to tell the transports apart reliably is shown in the article Identifying military transports. When the aircraft fly does not follow a public schedule. Some military flights show up on flight tracking portals, others do not – you can find tips in the article Tracking military aircraft online.

Two runways, one of them in use

Pisa has two parallel asphalt runways running from southwest to northeast. Since spring 2026 they have been called 03R/21L and 03L/21R – before that they were designated 04R/22L and 04L/22R. The reason is purely technical: runway numbers are based on the magnetic heading, which has shifted because the magnetic north pole moves. The position of the runways has stayed the same.

The main runway 03R/21L is around 3,000 meters long, 45 meters wide and equipped with an instrument landing system. Practically all scheduled traffic runs over it. According to spotter reports, the somewhat shorter secondary runway 03L/21R mostly serves as a taxiway. For your planning, that means: almost everything you see in Pisa takes off and lands on one runway.

Runway direction in use: mostly 03, 21 in a south wind

In Pisa, takeoffs and landings are mostly toward the northeast, that is, in runway direction 03. Aircraft then come in from the southwest, from the direction of the coast and Coltano, and depart toward the city. If the wind turns to south or southwest and picks up, operations switch to 21 – landings then come in over the city side and departures head toward the sea.

Because direction 03 clearly predominates, the locations in the south of the field are the most worthwhile on most days. In a south wind, things look different. How to estimate wind and runway direction in use before setting out is explained in the article Understanding runway direction in use at airports.

Ryanair and Tuscan traffic

In scheduled traffic, Pisa is firmly in the hands of the low-cost carriers. Ryanair is by far the most important operator and maintains a base at Galilei, from which it serves several dozen routes, most of them within Europe. Accordingly, you see the Boeing 737-800 and the 737-8-200 of the Irish airline often. The group behind it is introduced on the Ryanair Holdings page.

In addition, easyJet, Wizz Air, British Airways to London Heathrow, Jet2 to Great Britain in summer, Transavia, Volotea, Eurowings, Aeroitalia and other European airlines fly here. The aircraft mix is therefore clear: Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family, such as the A320neo and the A321neo. Exactly which routes are offered changes with every schedule – check the current status before your visit.

A look back shows that things used to be different: from 2007 to 2016, Delta flew nonstop between Pisa and New York, and widebodies have been more of an exception since. There are also cargo flights by express carriers as well as private and business aircraft bringing guests to Tuscany.

Record 2025 and seasonal pattern

In 2025, Pisa counted almost 5.95 million passengers – more than ever before and 7.8 percent more than the year before. Every month was above the previous year’s figure, and around three quarters of passengers traveled internationally. According to the operator, the busiest day was June 28, with just over 26,700 passengers. For you, that means: there is far more going on in summer, while in winter the core of Ryanair and the big low-cost carriers remains.

In the middle of Tuscany: access and location

Hardly any Italian airport is as close to its city. Galilei almost borders the south of Pisa, and the Pisa Mover – a driverless shuttle that has replaced the former airport railway station since 2017 – takes you to Pisa Centrale main station in a few minutes. On the way, the train stops at an intermediate station with large park-and-ride areas. From the main station, regional trains run to Florence, Lucca and along the coast, so Pisa is the real entry point for many Tuscany vacationers.

In addition, buses run directly from the airport to Florence. By car, you reach the field via the expressway between Florence, Pisa and Livorno and via the A11 and A12 motorways.

Terminal under reconstruction

The airport has grown more in recent years than its terminal. That is why it is being rebuilt: on October 12, 2026, a new arrivals building of around 7,100 square meters was inaugurated, which is regarded as the first step of the overall project. In further steps, the existing terminal will be renovated. The operator aims to finish in 2028; according to the operator, the airport will then be designed for 6 to 7 million passengers a year. Lawsuits against the master plan are still pending, however – so details may still shift.

For you as a spotter, the view of the runway changes little. When traveling to the terminal, though, you should expect construction sites, changed routes and restricted areas.

Spotting in Pisa: where you can stand

There is no official visitors’ hill or terrace in Pisa. Spotters move to public paths and fields around the grounds. A guide created by local spotters in 2019 roughly describes two areas:

• The south around Coltano: Dirt tracks and areas near the south end of the main runway, good for landings in runway direction 03 and departures toward 21. Depending on the field, the light is better in the morning or in the afternoon. The locations are rural, partly on private land and near a railway line – without restrooms or food.
• The north near the terminal: Areas at the parking lots and rental car areas, especially interesting when landings are made toward 21 in a south wind. Here the terminal, restrooms and restaurants are nearby.

The exact spots may have changed due to construction work, new fences and parking rules. Check them on site and do not rely blindly on older descriptions. For landings and takeoffs, a telephoto in the range of 70 to 300 millimeters is usually enough. If you want to photograph over a fence, read the article Ladder, step and tripod at the airport fence beforehand.

Light and weather

The main runway runs from southwest to northeast, and the sun is in the south at midday. From the northwest side of the runway, you therefore tend to shoot into the light during the day, while from the southeast side you have the sun behind you for much of the day. Tuscany offers stable, sunny weather over many months – but in midsummer often with haze and strong shimmer. With the article on the sun position at the photo spot, you can plan the light in advance.

Pisa in comparison

Within Tuscany, Pisa complements Florence Airport, which is much closer to its city but has only a short runway and handles mostly smaller jets. Together, the two airports reached around 9.8 million passengers in 2025. To the north, Bologna Airport is not far, another important field in central Italy with a strong low-cost share.

If you are looking for long-haul and widebodies, you are better off at Rome Fiumicino Airport or Milan Malpensa Airport. And if the history of Italian military aviation appeals to you after Pisa, the Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare in Vigna di Valle north of Rome is worth a visit.

Conclusion

Pisa Airport is a field with two faces. On one side is a lively low-cost airport that sets new records year after year and brings millions of vacationers to Tuscany. On the other is a military base from which the Italian Air Force runs its tactical airlift with the C-130J and C-27J.

For spotters, this very mix is the appeal. If you know the new runway designations, check the runway direction in use and consistently keep your distance from military facilities, you can log Ryanair jets, leisure airliners and, with a bit of luck, a Hercules here in one morning – and spend the afternoon at the Leaning Tower.