Taranto-Grottaglie Airport
Taranto-Grottaglie "Marcello Arlotta" Airport () is an airport serving Taranto and Grottaglie, both "comunes" in the province of Taranto in Italy. The airport is located from the city of Monteiasi, from Grottaglie and from Taranto. It is named for Marcello Arlotta (1886-1918), an Italian aviator. Overview. The airport is used for general aviation, with no commercial airline service. As Alenia Aeronautica produces big fuselage parts of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in a hangar located beside an airport's apron, multiple times a month, a Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter, also known as "Dreamlifter", lands at Taranto  Grottaglie to pick up the parts and fly them to the Boeing factory at Paine Field and Boeing South Carolina at Charleston International Airport for final assembly. Those flights are operated by Atlas Air. It is also known as Taranto-Grottaglie Airport or Grottaglie Airport. In August 2012, the broker ESAFLY announced that it plans to commence scheduled services from Taranto. History. In 1923 Grottaglie was a military airfield of Regia Aeronautica During World War II, was a military airfield used by Regia Aeronautica and after by the United States Army Air Forces. The airfield was designed for heavy bomber  use, and was a major base for Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberator heavy bombers used in the strategic bombardment campaign against Germany. In addition, Twelfth Air Force tactical bombers were stationed at the airfield which were used to support Allied ground forces in the Italian Campaign. Known USAAF units assigned to the airfield were: Soon after the airport had been seized by the Allies in September 1943, 205th Battery from 89th (Cinque Ports) Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, arrived to protect the USAAF build-up. After the war ended, the airfield was turned over to local authorities, and in  1950 was air base of "86º Gruppo Antisom" 8Antisubmarine Warfare Wing) of Italian Air Force In 1979 was a Naval Air Station of Italian Navy. Facilities. The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 17/35 with an asphalt surface measuring . Spaceport. As of July 2018, there is an announcement of operating the aerodrome as a commercial spaceport.