Pisa Intl. Airport - Spotting Guide

Pisa Intl. Airport – Spotting Guide

March 18, 2019 - last modified on November 29, 2023

Pisa Intl. Airport (PSA/LIRP) is a military airport open to civil traffic and home of the prestigious 46 Aerobrigata. It is the main airport of Tuscany, located along the Tuscany coast near the famous tourist city of Pisa and connected the regional capital Florence with the highway FI-PI-LI. The airport is located very close to the city center easily reachable by foot or by public transport or by car. It is managed by the private company Toscana Aeroporti SPA and first by the Società Società aeroport Toscani SAT.

The terminal has been active since the end of the 60s years but reached its maximum development with the construction of the base of the low-cost airline Ryanair. The airport is connected to almost all European locations and to some tourist sites at the Mediterranean Sea and in North Africa and a direct flight to Doha operated by Qatar. The airliners operating at the airport are mainly low-cost airlines (Ryanair, Easy Jet, Pobeda, Transavia, Wizz Air Vueling, S7, Eurowings, Jet2.com) and scheduled airlines (Air Dolomiti-Lufthansa, British AW, Alitalia, Qatar, Turkish, Aer Lingus, Aegean). However there are frequent cargo flights (DHL, ASL and other cargo airlines) and a lot of Private and Government. To date, passenger traffic has reached 5.500.000 passengers a year (December 2018). The activity of the Italian Air Force is carried out by the 46AB with airplanes C130J and C27J. The airport of Pisa undergone in the summer a considerable increase in flights mainly due to tour operators that connect it to the Scandinavian countries (Norwegian and SAS) and the United Kingdom.

However, being a military base, you must respect the safety distances from the fences avoiding taking pictures of the military installations and infrastructures.
For an effective view of real-time flights visit pisa-airport.com.

Guide was written by Francesco Della Santa and Francesco Palla (local spotters). Last update March 2019.

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
04R/22L	2.993m (9.819 ft)
04L/22R	2.792m (9.160 ft)
Terminals	One terminal for all operations
Spotting Information
Ladder	Just needed at spot #1 for the line up.
Car/Public Transport	RWY 04 best by car or by public transport with bus N8 from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II direction to Coltano. RWY 22 can easily be reached from the terminal.
Restrooms	The last two spots are next to the terminal. All other are outside of “civilisation”.
Drinks/Food	Some restaurants near the southern spots and in the terminal for the northern two spots.
Hotels	There is not really an airport hotel. Best choice is the city which is very close.
Season	Good all year roung but much more traffic during the summer holiday season.
Runway Usage
04R/22L	Used in both directions whilst 04R is dominating
04L/22R	Actually not active and used as a taxiway.

	Spot #1 – Bridge – LineUp 04R
WHERE	From the city/airport drive southwards on the SS1 and after you have passed the airport boundaries turn right at the sign to “Coltano”. Cross the highway and take the next left into “Via Enrico Pezzi” a small road that lead to some farmers. Drive till the end and stop the car here before the last little bridge on the side of the road. Parking after this bridge is permitted and often the military guard at the airport does not allow to stay too close. By public transport with bus N8 from Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II direction to Coltano and exit as marked on the map and walk along the Via Enrico Pezzi to the spots.

WHAT	Aircraft taxing and lining up runway 04R for take off. A small ladder is needed to photograph over the fence.

TIME	09:00 until sunset. Be aware of heat haze expecially during summer and on hot days.

MISC.	As PSA is a military airport do not photograph military installations and do not stop on the bridge in the presence of armed forces inside or outside the airport. Absolutely forbidden to touch the alarmed fences and please do not cross the bridge. The river is the border between public and military area! Keep a low profile, do not camp on the bridge all the time! There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm E190=180mm; 738=150mm

	Spot #2 – Field East – 04R arrivals
WHERE	Same direction as #1 but before the last bridge turn right on the small path through the fields to photograph the arrivals.

WHAT	All aircraft landing for 04R in the morning.

TIME	From the sunrise untill 13:00 in the winter. From sunrise until 12:00 in summer.

MISC.	You are at the edge of a field so respect private property as much as possible and not go too close to the railway for safety reasons. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm 772=80mm; A320=140mm

View from spot #1 eastwards:

View from the spot westwards towards arrival path:

	Spot #3 – Railways – 04R Arrivals + 22L departures
WHERE	Continue on the path from spot #2 along the railway until you find your prefered position.

WHAT	All take offs from RWY 22L, especially wide body and cargo planes. You can also shoot bigger 04R arrivals.

TIME	From the sunrise untill 13:00 all year round.

MISC.	You are at the edge of a field so respect private property as much as possible and not go too close to the railway for safety reasons. Arrivals can be hazy quickly in summer. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-300mm 744=80mm; C17=180mm

Southwards towards arrival path:

	Spot #4 – Field West – 04R arrivals + 22L Departures
WHERE	Same direction as #1 but before the last bridge turn left on the small path through and walk all way down to the railway in the west for the best angle to photograph the arrivals.

WHAT	All aircraft landing for 04R or heavy departures on 22L in the afternoon.

TIME	From 16:00 until the sunset in the spring and the summer. No good light in the rest of the year.

MISC.	You are at the edge of a field so respect private property as much as possible and not go too close to the railway for safety reasons. There is nothing nearby just some restaurants before you entered the last road. The field can be very destroyed sometimes and then it is tough to get to the spot. Wear solid shoes.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm BBJ=140mm; 763=100mm

View from #1 westwards, continue on the field at the end of this road for a better angle:

View from the field back eastwards:

	Spot #5 – Rental Car Parking
WHERE	This spot is on the parking lot of the airports car rental agencies AVIS, HERTZ etc. Parking is not possible at this location so stay at the terminal or at P4 (spot 6) and walk from there to this position which will take approximate 5 minutes.

WHAT	All aircraft landing for 22L in the afternoon with strong south winds.

TIME	4.00 pm until the sunset

MISC.	This is a private area with all the parked car rentals so pay attention. Everything you need is within the terminal.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm

	Spot #6 – Parking P4 – 22L arrivals
WHERE	From the former spot follow the signs and continue the road along the perimeter for another five minutes. It is on the airport’s parking P4 which is the Low-Cost parking area. It is located 900 metres from the terminal and is served by a free-of-charge shuttle bus from 5:00 AM until the time of arrival/departure of the last flight of the day. A minimum of 3 runs per hour are guaranteed throughout this time period.

WHAT	Landing for 22L with strong south windy days and take-off 04R in normal conditions

TIME	Sunrise untill 01 pm in winter – sunrise until 12 pm in the summer

MISC.	Parking fee is 8 EUR a day. Everything you need is within the terminal.

FOCAL LENGTH	70-200mm 752=130mm; A320=150mm