Italy's 39th airport, the second in the Campania region after Naples Capodichino, the much-announced Salerno-Costa d'Amalfi Airport has opened its doors.
Four airlines: Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea and Universal Air
Just four airlines are operating on the new airport – Ryanair, easyJet, Volotea and Universal Air - for a total of 20 destinations. Six of these are scheduled domestic flights (Catania, Cagliari, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Turin and Verona), seven international (Basel, Berlin, Geneva, Malta, Nantes, London Gatwick, London Stansted) and seven are charters (Corfu, Djerba, Monastir, Podgorica, Rhodes, Sharm el-Sheikh and Zante). 
The winter programme is TBA
By 2043 the investment is expected to amount to a further €245 million, of which €134 million will be financed by public funds (in addition to those already spent on the opening). After the summer, operations will undergo the traditional winter cuts, with a programme yet to be defined that will in any case have to support the infrastructure's operating costs. But so be it: this is a new beginning - and the opening of a new airport does not happen every day. To quote the president of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca: “a 20-year-long story comes to an end,” a long cherished desire that however “lacked an industrial plan. And this is just the first step in a project that allows us to imagine intercontinental flights in the not too distant future.”
Raising the bar for the entire Campania region
“The project rests its foundations on the establishment of an airport network capable of giving life to the Campania airport system,- said Carlo Borgomeo, president of Gesac, the company that manages both Naples and Salerno airports. -I deny the interpretation that Salerno is a spare wheel for Naples. This project is about the development of the region. It is a well thought-out operation, with great opportunities for tourism and cultural exchanges, and it opens up great opportunities for young people. The entire region becomes more attractive.”
Work is ongoing to extend the airport
The runway has been extended (from 1,655 metres to 2,022) as have the aircraft parking aprons, while the passenger terminal and car parks have been reactivated. In 2026 the new passenger terminal will make its debut and will be built while keeping the airport fully operational. “We are already at work on the construction of the new passenger terminal,- said Roberto Barbieri, Gesac's managing director and a strategic advocate of the single management of Campania's two airports. –“This airport connects the region with Berlin, London, Milan and Catania,- said transport minister Matteo Salvini, - Regarding the metro, I count on there being a stop by the beginning of 2027, with fast connections to the city.”
Boosting accessibility for many areas
Despite its name the new Salerno airport also makes areas such as the Cilento’s splendid coastline stretching from the Gulf of Salerno to the Gulf of Policastro, and the Vallo di Diano more easily accessible. And it will help with the problems of overcrowding from Sorrento to Amalfi and from Minori to Positano, especially during the summer peak, as well as being an incentive to a more systematic tourist development for lesser-known destinations.
