Airport on the Amalfi Coast reopens in summer 2024.
Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport in Italy will soon be reopening. The airport has been under construction for years and is due to resume operations in summer 2024. However, the airport will still be a long way from completion.
The Amalfi Coast in south-western Italy offers breathtaking scenery with steep cliffs, picturesque villages, terraced lemon groves and views of the azure Mediterranean Sea. So it’s no wonder that the region is popular with travelers.
The coastline stretches for 50 kilometers (31 miles) along the Gulf of Sorrento and is a real eye-catcher with its lush vegetation and colorful little houses nestled on steep slopes. The most beautiful places include Sorrento, the small town of Amalfi, the famous clifftop town of Positano and the municipality of Ravello. The challenge for travelers is to reach the Amalfi Coast quickly and easily.
The nearest airport is currently in Naples. From there, however, it takes two hours by train or an hour and a half by car to get to Amalfi, for example. Such long journeys from the airport to the Amalfi coast will soon be a thing of the past.
Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is due to reopen in July 2024. The airport, which has been redesigned and expanded since 2020, is located around 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from Salerno and 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the city of Amalfi.
Overall, the airport can look back on a long history: according to “CNN Travel”, the airport was built in 1926. Over the past 98 years, it has been used repeatedly as a military airport, flight school, fire station and private airport. According to the newspaper, the airport was then expanded in 2007 so that commercial flights were also possible. The runway was extended and two gates and four check-in counters were built. In 2016, the airport was then closed completely. Four years later, work began again.
New construction
The development plan for Salerno Airport states that the first clearing work of war guns began in July 2020. Construction work then began on the new runway, which was completed in February 2024. It is 2,000 meters (1.3 miles) long and equipped with modern and effective traffic light systems. Phase one is now complete.
The design for phase two was awarded in 2022. This includes the construction of a new passenger terminal with an area of around 16,000 square meters (172,000 square meters). This should “meet the highest environmental standards”. Natural and sustainable materials will be used and photovoltaic systems will be installed on the roof. The new passenger terminal should be completed by 2026 or 2027.
The runway is to be extended to up to 2,200 meters (1.36 miles) by 2025. Work is also underway on parking areas for aircraft. According to the description, the construction of another terminal for general aviation is also planned for 2025. It will initially also be used for commercial aviation flights until the new dedicated terminal is built. The airport should be back to “full operation” by 2026/2027, it continues.
Salerno Airport plays an important role for tourism in Campania
According to CNN Travel, the airport will continue to be expanded until 2043. By then, it will be able to handle six million passengers per year. The airport will help to relieve the pressure on Capodichino International Airport in Naples, which recorded a record 12.4 million passengers in 2023.
Regular passenger flights are to take place for the first time from next summer. The Spanish airline Volotea is leading the way, and other airlines are likely to follow soon. Other airlines have already expressed an interest in flying to Salerno in the future. Let’s hope development will continue as planned and we will soon have convenient connection flights straight to the beautiful Amalfi Coast.
Airport Photos: Melismelis Rendering Aeroporto