· 6 min read · by Salimar Boat Tour
Como's seaplane base and the world's oldest seaplane club
Many passengers notice it halfway through the tour: an aircraft on floats runs along the water a few hundred metres from the boat, lifts off and climbs over the first basin. It is not a one-off, it is the daily activity of Como's international water aerodrome, whose runway lies in the stretch of water right in front of the city.
A water runway in front of the city
The runway is about 900 metres long and marked by floating buoys. The hangar and its forecourt face the lakefront at Via Masia 44, in the very centre of town. The aerodrome's international code is LILY: it is the only certified water aerodrome currently operating in Italy.
From 1913 to today
Seaplane activity on Lake Como dates back to 1913 — the first flight is credited to Frenchman Roland Garros on 5 October of that year. Aero Club Como was founded between 1929 and 1930, and the lakeside hangar opened in early 1930. It has never stopped since: according to the club it is the oldest seaplane flight organisation in the world as certified by Guinness World Records, a record verified in 2013.
The hangar you see from the water dates to 1931, built in the Rationalist style to a design by Carlo Ponci and Giuseppe Terragni — the architect of Como's Casa del Fascio. The buildings are protected as historic heritage.
The fleet and the flight school
According to the official site the fleet counts 11 aircraft and is the only one to include every type: hull floats, straight floats and amphibians. The hangar also houses the world's oldest flying seaplane, a privately owned Caproni Ca.100 from 1935. It is Europe's leading seaplane flight school: in 2022 a group of ninety Turkish pilots came here to earn their seaplane ratings.
- A water runway about 900 metres long, marked by buoys
- International code LILY, the only certified water aerodrome in Italy
- Rationalist hangar from 1931 by Ponci and Terragni, a protected building
- Eleven aircraft: hull floats, straight floats and amphibians
- Scenic flights towards Bellagio and the central lake, about 30 minutes
Scenic flights
The introductory flight with an instructor towards Bellagio and the central lake lasts roughly thirty minutes, of which about fifteen are actually airborne. Published prices do not agree across sources — from around 140 euros per person to rates quoted for two or four passengers — so it is worth asking the club directly for the current rate. Flights depend on the weather. In summer the place is busy: a former club president described around thirty sightseeing flights a day, with more demand than they could take.
How you see it from the boat
The aerodrome comes at the start of the tour, just after leaving Como: we pass in front of the hangar and skirt the runway area. When a seaplane is moving we keep our distance and slow down — it is usually the moment everyone reaches for their phone.
