Driven by the ongoing recovery in post-pandemic travel demand, Italian airports have literally taken off. In fact, the final figures for 2024 show a total of over 219 million passengers, 11.1% more than in 2023, achieving the 2028 target three years earlier than planned.
For the first time since 2019, traffic composition has returned to pre-COVID levels, with domestic travelers making up one-third and international travelers accounting for two-thirds—totaling 146 million passengers in the international segment.
Airports are a strategic sector, accounting for 3.8% of Italy’s GDP and generating 1.3 million jobs. “For every additional million passengers, 552 jobs are generated in the airport sector and 6,105 at a national level,” says Pierluigi Di Palma, president of ENAC (the Italian Civil Aviation Authority), emphasizing how “airports are a driving force for development.” 
Bergamo Airport
In other words, for every euro invested in the Italian airport system, €3.2 are generated in the national economy. Airports, at last also in Italy, are no longer mere transit points but hubs of development that can generate value for the economic and social fabric of the country. With ever-evolving infrastructure driven by dynamic innovation and transformation, alongside a growing commitment to sustainability.
The warning to policymakers, urging them to give greater consideration to the entire airport sector, comes from Carlo Borgomeo, president of Assaeroporti.
Mariella Cattaneo
Journalist
