History
The current location of the airport dates back to 1938, when it opened as a grass field. The first paved runway was laid in 1960, and originally had a length of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and a width of 30 metres (98 ft). Initially managed by private sector companies, the airport was taken over by the Azienda comunale dei trasporti della Città di Lugano, Lugano's municipal transport company, in 1974.
In the early 1980s, the airline Crossair decided to invest in the airport, establishing connections between Lugano and various European cities. In 1985, the runway was extended by 150 metres (490 ft), and in 1989 a new control tower became operational.
In 2006, a new management company, Lugano Airport SA, was established. While the airport site belongs to the city of Lugano, the infrastructure is managed by Lugano Airport SA in which the canton of Ticino holds 12.5% of the share capital and the city holds 87.5%.
Read more about this topic: Lugano Airport
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