The Board of Directors of Lugano Airport SA (LASA) requested and obtained, in April 2020, the orderly liquidation of the company that had managed Lugano-Agno airport up to that point.

This decision was driven by several factors, particularly the decline in activities in the domestic and international scheduled aviation sector. After a challenging period, by late summer 2020, Lugano Airport showed signs of recovery in the general aviation sector, which solidified to the point where the airport’s operations no longer generated costs for the City.

Indeed, airport activities never ceased and are still ongoing. The City of Lugano owns the airport infrastructure and holds the federal operating concession. The orderly liquidation allowed for a smooth transition of essential activities and staff from LASA to the City, ensuring the airport remained operational while working toward a governance model based on a public-private partnership.

Negotiations with Potential Private Investors

In September 2020, the Municipal Government issued a Call for Expression of Interest to identify private investors interested in managing the airport. The evaluation of applications (seven were submitted) considered criteria such as ensuring the maintenance and development of infrastructure and flight procedures (including instrument flight operations), the availability of financial guarantees for a 33-year operating period, conditions for lease payments and access to the concession, and compliance with the Piano settoriale dei trasporti, Parte Infrastruttura aeronautica (PSIA, Sectoral Plan for Aviation Infrastructure).

In August 2023, the City decided to abandon the Call as the Municipal Government determined that it could no longer reasonably or legally serve as a basis for awarding future airport management to private operators.

Despite the cross-appeals that stalled the initial procedure, the Municipal Government had decided in 2021 to proceed independently with revising the PSIA plan, as requested by the Confederation since 2016 (and by the hosting municipalities), forming the foundation for renewing the federal concession in 2026.

Simultaneously, the City addressed cantonal requirements for the future alignment of the Agno-Bioggio bypass, which will require the sacrifice of a strip of airport land along the Vedeggio riverbank, necessitating the replacement of the current instrument approach system with a satellite-based system to be funded by the Canton.

The decision to abandon the Call was due to significant changes in the initial conditions for bidders, making it impossible to select among submitted projects that were no longer aligned with the Master Plan underpinning the PSIA. Additionally, the transitional management by the City, which is financially sustainable in the short term, allows for proper planning of future steps, ensuring the best possible solution and defining suitable conditions for evaluating comparable proposals consistent with the evolving planning framework.

Future Objectives

With the Call for Expression of Interest abandoned, the Municipal Government decided to continue the current transitional management, which no longer generates costs for the City, and set the following objectives for Lugano Airport's public management:

  • Continue with the procedures aimed at obtaining approval of the new PSIA plan from the Federal Council and the renewal of the federal concession by the end of 2026.

  • Work with all relevant authorities to implement and fund a satellite-based approach system to replace the outdated instrument approach system, which will be dismantled for the construction of the Agno-Bioggio bypass.

     
  • Establish a new "Airport Working Group" led by Filippo Lombardi and including directors of relevant municipal departments and two external specialists to refine the City’s airport strategy and plans for involving private investors.
     
  • Submit a Dispatch to the City Parliament outlining this strategy and proposals for a future public-private partnership for airport management.

Support from the City and the Canton

On November 25, 2019, the City Parliament of Lugano approved a credit of CHF 5.76 million to support the relaunch of Lugano-Agno Airport, divided as follows: CHF 3.6 million for LASA recapitalization, CHF 1.38 million to cover losses as of December 31, 2019, and CHF 780,000 to cover 60% of losses in 2020 (the initial Dispatch dated May 23, 2019, later amended by the Municipal Government, sought coverage of losses through 2024).

On November 4, 2019, the Grand Council of the Canton of Ticino voted 57 in favor and 24 against to recapitalize Lugano Airport SA. This included an investment credit of CHF 2.4 million for the second recapitalization and an increase in the Canton’s shareholding in the company from 12.5% to 40%. The Cantonal Government highlighted the airport’s centrality as a key element for regional economic development.

These decisions were subject to two referendums, one cantonal and one municipal, postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and eventually annulled following LASA’s liquidation.

The Importance of the Airport

The importance of Lugano Airport was validated by a study conducted by the Aviation Competence Center at the University of St. Gallen. The study highlighted that Lugano Airport SA played a crucial role in Ticino’s mobility network, serving as an essential alternative to rail transport for business aviation, national and international conferences, major events, and the recruitment of highly skilled workers, academic staff, and researchers, as well as for tourism.

The airport's presence has significantly impacted the local economy, creating 1,665 jobs in 2017 (direct, indirect, and induced) and generating CHF 195 million in added value in 2017, with nearly two billion CHF generated between 2006 and 2018.

The English version of this page was created with the aid of automatic translation tools and may contain errors and omissions.

The original version is the page in Italian.

Contacts

Città di Lugano
Municipio
Piazza della Riforma 1
6900 Lugano
t. +41 58 866 70 11
[email protected]

Insights
See also