Birgi Airport to host F-35 International training center

Lettera aperta sull'aeroporto di Trapani Birgi e il futuro del nostro territorio

Once again, the development of tourism in the province of Trapani is entangled with war scenarios and military strategies. Birgi Airport, a key asset for the region’s economy, is also a military base. And it is precisely here that the new international training hub for F-35 fighter jets will be established — a twin of the one already operating at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona.

The confirmation comes from Nino Minardo, president of the Defence Committee of the Italian Chamber of Deputies: “It will be a global reference center for pilot training.” But the news reignites debate: on one hand, military institutions praise Sicily’s strategic role; on the other, concerns arise over civilian impacts — starting with the full operation of commercial flights.

The F-35s, multirole fighters produced by Lockheed Martin, are among the most widespread and controversial aircraft in the world. Part of the Joint Strike Fighter program launched in 1994, they are used by countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Australia — and Israel, which has employed them in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip over the past year. It is precisely the use of these jets in war scenarios that led over 230 international organizations, last February, to call for a halt to exports to Israel, invoking the Arms Trade Treaty and international humanitarian law.

Sicily is becoming increasingly militarized: US drones are already operating from Sigonella, while Birgi will now host F-35 pilot training. But the relationship with the local community remains unresolved. Trapani’s economy depends on tourism, and its airport is vital for the region. Any limitation of civilian flights or growing perceptions of insecurity risk having severe consequences on the local economy.

It is a decision that divides: on one side, geopolitical centrality; on the other, the looming shadow of war overlapping with the aspirations of a territory that has long struggled to achieve stability through tourism development.