APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
Airfield distribution has been influenced by three factors: the country's terrain, its military posture, and its population centers. Most of the airfields on the mainland are located on the northern plains and along the east and west coastal regions, and the highest concentration is in the vicinity of Rome. Because of the mountainous topography of the major islands, the airfields are generally located on the coast.
The airfield system adequately meets civil and military requirements. Of the 32 international airfields, 19 serve scheduled traffic. The most important fields on the mainland are Genova/Sestri, Milano/Linate, Milano/Malpensa, Torino/Caselle, Roma/Fiumicino, and Venezia/Tessera. On Sardinia and Sicily the most important fields are Cagliari/Elmas and Palermo/Punta Raisi, respectively. Each of these facilities has been developed to meet the specific needs (such as navigational aids, aircraft movement areas, and ground handling) required by short haul and/or long haul operations of airlines using aircraft in at least the C-130 category and some using aircraft in the C-141 category. Roughly 40% of the major military airfields and two major joint airfields serve as home bases for fighter aircraft. Many of the minor military airfields serve the Italian Army, and minor joint military/civil and private airfields serve aero club activities and domestic tourists.
Eighty airfields have hard-surfaced runways which are generally in good condition. Most of these fields also have associated aircraft movement areas which are also hard surfaced. Their general weight bearing capacity varies from C-45 to C-141 aircraft. Runways at the remaining airfields have either natural or temporary surfaces, generally in fair condition. The 11 seaplane stations are available only in emergencies. The 79 sites have reverted to a natural state or are under cultivation, and little remains of the except earth scars.
Efforts constantly are made to improve and modernize the airfields according to the dictates of the International Civil Aviation Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Examples of this are the new aircraft movement areas under construction at Roma/Fiumicino, the planning of a third runway at Milano/Malpensa, and the addition of a second runway at Gioia Del Colle. The important military airfields also have expansion potential.
Figure 10 lists characteristics of selected airfields.
K. Telecommunications (C)
The telecommunication (telecom) systems are modern and well developed and provide fast, reliable service that meets the needs of the government, industry, and the public. The density of facilities compares favorably with those in most other European countries, and Italy's telecom systems generally are being expanded at a faster rate. The number of telephone sets and the mileage of intercity circuits have been increasing by 10% and 14%, respectively, in each of the last 4 years. High-capacity cable and radio-relay systems are employed in nearly equal amounts in the national trunk telecom network; major routes run along both flanks of the Apennine mountains and east-west in the Po valley. Primary switching centers are in Milan, Rome, and Naples. Although the telephone, telex, and broadcast networks are fully automated throughout Italy, the density of these facilities diminishes south of Rome and in Sardinia and Sicily. Excellent international facilities provide immediate worldwide service, and radio-broadcast and TV services are continually being improved for the benefit of the public.
The government either owns or maintains controlling interest in most public telecom facilities through the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPT). Facilities that provide interregional telephone, telegraph, and news service and radio and TV broadcast are wholly owned by the government. The government and a concessionaire share ownership of regional telephone facilities; the State Agency for Telephone Services (ASST) is responsible for the operation and maintenance of long-distance facilities between 37 urban telephone districts, and the Italian Company for Telephone Service (SIP) is licensed to provide local service within these districts and in the remaining 194 telephone districts. Radio and TV broadcast operations, a government monopoly, are delegated to Radio Television of Italy (RAI). The Cable Radiotelegraph and Radiocommunication Services, Inc. (ITALCABLE) operates all international radiocommunications and some submarine cable facilities. Space Communications, Inc. (TELESPAZIO) is responsible for operating communications satellite ground facilities and related circuits. About 150,000 persons are employed in all facets of the post and telecommunications operations.
The domestic telecom systems consist of interconnected networks of open-wire, coaxial and multiconductor cable, and radio-relay links. The primary transmission systems use high-capacity coaxial cable and radio-relay links to provide intercity circuits. Some multiconductor cables and open-sire lines, which often parallel the coaxial cables, also provide intercity circuits. Submarine cables and radio-relay links are used for service between the islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the mainland. Primary 2- and 4-
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
