Parma Giuseppe Verdi Airport - Spotting Guide

Parma Giuseppe Verdi Airport – Spotting Guide

August 28, 2021 - last modified on November 29, 2023

Parma Giuseppe Verdi Airport is a very small airport with only 75000 pax in 2019, north of the cities boundaries. There are only up to five pax flights per day as of 2023. Flights served by Ryanair and FlyONE. Rare special movements apart from that.

Flight Status on the airport website

Written by Tombarelli Federico and Gerrit Griem. Credits to Fabrizio Gandolfo for Spot#1 photos. Last Update: September 2022

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
02/20	2122m (6962 ft)
Terminals	There is only one passenger terminal handling all activities.
Spotting Information
Ladder	Required for any ground shot.
Car/Public Transport	There are busses for spot 1 and 3, but for spot 2 is better to have your own vehicle.
Drinks/Food	Inside the terminal or south of spot 2 is a supermarket and some restaurants. Anyway you are close to the city and you won’t stay too long at the airport
Hotels	Check Parma city. Nothing at the airport.
Season	Summer is the only season with a bit of flights and where the sun reaches the best position for this airport
Security	Like everywhere in Italy spotting isn’t fully tolerated, especially at Spot 1 because you are below the control tower. At spot 2 and 3 you will be “safer” but if you just kindly show what you are doing you won’t have any issue.
Runway Usage
02/20	As from the 02 side there is the city the overall rule is landings from runway 20 and take offs from runway 02. Recently flights heading to the South are backtracking and using runway 20 as well for take off, so it’s becoming harder to use spot 2 which is the greatest.

	Spot #1 – Terminal – Passenger ramp – Apron
WHERE	This spot is located next to the terminal, likely under the control tower. When you reach the terminal on your left you will find a wall. Behind this wall there is the apron. You will need a ladder to photograph over the wall, a 3 step one is fine. You can freely walk all along the wall in front of the apron so you can choose the angle you prefer the most. There is a small space on your right to park the car.

WHAT	Aircraft already parked or taxing to their parking slot or doing a self-pushback. Also you are next to a very nice gate guardian, check it in the photos below.

TIME	Morning since sunrise to 10am is the better time, but you will find a kinda good angle until 3pm

MISC.	Remember that you are in full sight of the control tower so don’t stay there too long, just take your pics and leave.

FOCAL LENGTH	We can’t provide an exact focal lenght but you are very close so choose a small one.

	Spot #2 – Aeroclub – Vacating RWY20 and Line-Up RWY02
WHERE	This spot is located at the restaurant of the “Aero Club Gaspare Bolla”. It’s located behind a small military area. Trying to explain how to reach this position is way too difficult, just put into your navigator “Volo Via asporto” or the street “Via Adriano Mantinelli” or just Aero Club Gaspare Bolla”. You will find a wide area to park the car.

WHAT	You can see airplanes vacataing the runway after a RWY20 approach or doing a bit of backtrack and aligning in front of you for a RWY02 departure. From here you might be able to get also RWY02 arrivals but as we said it’s really really hard to see it happening.

TIME	After 4pm since sunset.

MISC.	The spot is in the garden of the restaurant. You will need a 3 step ladder to avoid the fence, but shooting thru the mesh also works. You can find food, drinks and restrooms inside the restaurant. There are good trees for shadow and some benches to relax. You are next to the military area (west of you), so behave appropiately.

FOCAL LENGTH	150mm A320 vacating runway 100mm A320 doing backtrack turn

	Spot #3 – Fields – RWY 20 Arrivals
WHERE	This spot is along the Strada Parma Roota, north of the airport next to some crop fields around RWY20. When you are driving in street” Strada Parma Rotta” you will find some farm roads going through the fields in direction of the airport fence. You can either stay along the main road or go on the farm roads but remember that those are private property and so it’s better if you find the farmer and kindly ask him if you can take it and stay for a bit for a couple of shots. They are friendly you won’t have much problems.

WHAT	Only landings from RWY 20

TIME	All day long just rotate with the sun, from 11 to 15 is when the light is worse.

MISC.	Bring what you need, nothing really nearby. You might find some tree for shadow if the sun is too hot.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-200mm depends on how far you decide to stay.

Morning side northwards:

A bit down morning south at the fence kink:

	Spot #4 – Treeline – 20 Arrivals
WHERE	From spot 3, continue down the dirt path towards runway. Keep east/left and soon you will reach a gate – you can either shoot from this gate or go some steps back to the trees parallely to the runway. There you will find some old woods where you are a bit higher and can nicely shoot the arrival path.

WHAT	Only landings from RWY 20.

TIME	Sunrise till late noon.

MISC.	Bring what you need, nothing really nearby. You might find some tree for shadow if the sun is too hot.

FOCAL LENGTH	100-200mm depends on how far you decide to stay