In time for peak travel season to Italy’s picturesque Amalfi Coast, the region will welcome its own airport as early as this July. Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is not only undergoing renovations but it also plans to open as a commercial airport.

Italian air navigation service provider ENAV granted authorization to allow aircraft to carry out flight operations this summer. This summer alone, ENAV expects around 400,000 passengers to pass through the airport.

Set to operate international flights, the airport sits less than 30 miles southeast of Amalfi city and 13 miles from Salerno, currently used as an entry point to the scenic coastline for visitors coming via train or local buses.

While initial plans to open the airport up to commercial flights started back in 2007, the airport closed completely to commercial flights in 2016. This summer, however, international services will resume.

Renovations to the airport include a new passenger terminal, set to be complete by 2026 or 2027. The new terminal will span more than 172,000 square feet, designed by Dutch company Deerns, which previously worked on expansions at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Kuwait International Airport and Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi.

Flights have already been announced for operation out of the Amalfi airport, including Spanish budget airline Volotea, set to launch its first flights July 11. Volotea will connect Amalfi with Cagliari, Verona and Catania, Italy, as well as Nantes, France. Other airlines are currently in talks to serve the airport.

Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport authorities also said the development of the airport will continue until 2043. The airport hopes to process about 6 million passengers per year.

The opening of the airport expects to relieve the pressure of passengers at Naples Airport in southern Italy. In 2023 alone, Naples and Salerno airport management company GESAC recorded more than 12.3 million passengers coming through Naples Airport.

Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport first opened in 1926 by Italy’s military air force and was used as a flight training facility until 1945. After World War II, the airport became a commercial airport, operating flights from a few airlines, including ITA Airways, as well as small, private jets flying to domestic destinations.

After 2007, the airport began to accommodate for civil traffic on a larger scale, bringing in two boarding areas, four check-in desks, luggage belts and waiting rooms. With the reopening of the airport, the runway will be extended to 2,000 meters.

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