On September 12, 2025, FSDG published the Salerno airport for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024. Let’s take a trip together to Italy, to the beautiful region of Campania.
Reality
Salerno is a city with about 130,000 inhabitants on the Bay of Campania, which belongs to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The famous, active volcano Vesuvius is only 35 kilometers away, and the vibrant city of Naples can be found just 50 kilometers to the northwest. Salerno’s economy is mainly based on mechanical engineering, fruit and vegetable cultivation, as well as the production of textiles and solar modules. The nearby Amalfi Coast attracts numerous tourists. Over seven million tons of goods from all over the world are handled annually at the port of Salerno.
Salerno Airport
The airport Aeroporto di Napoli-Capodichino (https://www.aeroportodinapoli.it) with the IATA and ICAO codes QSR and LIRI is located 12 kilometers southeast of Salerno’s center. The airport originally opened in 1926 as a military airfield.
After World War II, when the site was used by the military, it was quickly converted to civilian operations. In 1952, the Aeroclub Salerno (https://www.aeroclubsalerno.it) was established, and in 1962, John F. and Jacqueline “Jacky” Kennedy landed here during a trip to Italy.
At that time, runway 05/23 was only 1,654 meters long, sufficient for regional planes and smaller aircraft. It wasn’t until the airport was taken over by Naples airport operator Gesac S.p.a. in November 2019 that the asphalt runway was extended to 2,000 by 45 meters, and the terminal was modernized and expanded.
The terminal apron offers 14 parking positions, all without jetways. Opposite, on the apron for general aviation, there are seven additional spots.
The Doppler-VOR/DME PONTECAGNANO PTC (110.45 MHz) is available as a non-precision approach aid and can be used in conjunction with RNP procedures. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) is not installed.
Current runway equipment:
| Runway | Approach Lighting | Touchdown Zone Lighting | PAPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | HIALS | – | right/left |
| 23 | – | – | right/left |
Arrivals always use 05 over the Bay of Campania. Upon takeoff from this runway, a right turn is required after departure to avoid the mountains northeast, which reach up to 1,800 meters.
Currently, several airlines operate routes to a total of 15 destinations in Albania, Belgium, Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Austria, Romania, and Spain. According to the operator’s report to the Italian Airports Association [Assaeroporti](https://assaeroporti.com), a total of 175,488 passengers and 2.4 tons of freight were handled on 1,324 flights in 2024.
The airport can be accessed via state road 18 and the E45 highway. There is a bus connection into the city, and a connection to the railway line passing runway 23 is planned. It also serves as a relief airport for Naples when needed. In Naples, 12,650,478 passengers, 9,467 tons of air freight, and 86,498 aircraft movements were recorded in 2024.
Especially in the area around the airport, the large number of greenhouses makes landings in bright sunlight a challenge: sunlight reflects off the white roofs and can dazzle pilots. Good thing there are visors and sunglasses!
On July 21, 2025, the name was officially changed to “Salerno Costa d’Amalfi e del Cilento” to highlight even more the national park Cilento e Vallo di Diano (https://www.cilentoediano.it) located to the southeast.
Simulation
The detailed airport scenery is offered as a package for MSFS 2020 and 2024 The product can be purchased at simMarket.
The download size is 345 MB, and the installation requires 1.1 GB of storage space. The scenery integrates seamlessly into its surroundings, including many buildings and numerous simulated greenhouses. While these may not be beautiful, they are a typical sight for the region—and as is well known, vegetables never hurt!
Faithful to its real-life model, there isn’t much to discover: the small, plain terminal, a few hangars, and the control tower—a stack of office containers—fulfill their purposes. Architectural splendor cannot be found here.
The “fresh” extension of the runway stands out visibly. The construction work from 2023 can be traced via Google Earth’s time-lapse view.
The VOR/DME is included as a 3D model, as is the tidy landside with access road and a few parking spots. The terminal is furnished inside, yet little of this is visible from the cockpit of parked aircraft.
GSX Pro Profile
FSDG provides its own GSX Pro profile, which can be downloaded here: https://fsdg-online.com/media/content/GSX_Profiles/GSXprofile_LIRI.zip
Known Issue
Strictly speaking, it is not a serious problem, but still noteworthy: the “Wig Wags,” that is, the paired yellow warning lights at the taxiway crossings A, B, C, and E to the runway—officially called “Runway Guard Lights”—are missing in the scenery. FSDG has been politely requested to improve this.
Conclusion
FSDG has done excellent work here: A long-obscure, only recently renamed regional airport in a lesser-known part of Italy—just a few kilometers from Naples and Vesuvius—is offered for both MSFS versions at a very fair price.
The highly detailed greenhouses make landings in good weather a minor challenge due to reflections on the white roofs. Approaches from the north over the Bay of Naples past the islands of Ischia and Capri as well as southward along the Amalfi Coast make flight into Salerno Airport a real experience. A clear purchase recommendation from FS Reviews!
Bert Groner
September 2025
Flight Navigation Charts
Freeware:
Via the Empresa Nazionale per l’Assistenza al Volo ([ENAV](www.enav.it/en/services/list)), current aviation charts can be obtained. Click on “AIP Enter the service,” sign in, and under the current date in Part 3 – Aeroporti (AD) / AD2 Aeroporti Certificati, choose the right airport. Then, download the required charts as PDF under “AD 2.24 CARTE AERONAUTCHE RELATIVE ALL’AEROPORTO.” Registration (session login) is required.
Payware:
Via Navigraph (https://navigraph.com), users can get worldwide flight navigation data and up-to-date charts by subscription.
