New European airport launching next summer after renovation costing more than £400m – with flights to holiday hotspots
A NEW airport terminal will begin serving a popular European holiday destination next summer, making it much easier to visit.
More than half a billion Euros (£429m) has been spent on the developments, which include traffic and infrastructure work as well as building the terminal.
The Amalfi Coast in Italy is known for its winding roads and pastel fishing villages, set along rugged cliffs that overlook the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno.
However, currently only Napoli airport offers direct access to the region.
That's all set to change next summer when the first planes will take off and arrive at the newly revamped Pontecagnano (Salerno) Airport.
The date was revealed this month during a meeting held at the Salerno Chamber of Commerce.
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During which president of the Campania Region Vincenzo De Luca explained what the investments of “over half a billion Euros” had been spent on.
They include the extension of the Salerno metro to the airport, with 9km of new metro that will flank the Salerno Battipaglia railway line with 5 new stops.
Further investments have been made in the road network as well as more than €250m (£214m) on the development of the commercial structures inside the airport.
The expansion also features a longer runway and a new parking area for passengers.
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There will be five new boarding gates, with state of the art systems introduced to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.
Designer, Alfonso Femia, from the architectural company responsible for creating the airport said: "The terminal should be an integral part of the passengers' journey and exploration of the region, the beginning and end of their experience.”
It's hoped that the new terminal will eventually serve three million visitors after its first three years.
In doing so, it will take pressure off nearby Naples-Capodichino Airport, minimising delays and ensuring smoother travel.
It has not yet been revealed which airlines will fly to the airport, nor which destinations it will be connected to, but its aim seems to focus heavily on tourism, with the area hugely popular among visitors.
Currently more than 100 destinations are connected to Naples Airport, via airlines including Ryanair, easyJet, KLM, Vueling, Wizz Air and others.
claim that Napoli is in need of "relief" due to being "flooded".
They wrote: "It is an airport that will obviously also give great relief to Naples-Capodichino, which is a flooded airport."
Ryanair is rumoured to be among those preparing to launch flights once the airport is open, with the saying, "We hope to hear more information regarding which airlines will fly to Salerno, Italy.
"We’ll keep an eye on Ryanair for flights to Salerno Airport from the UK in the coming year."
Prior to its closure for the renovations, the airport used to offer flights to holiday destinations including Ibiza, Corfu and Malta, as well as other Italian hotspots.
It's not the only new airport being planned for Europe, with work on Warsaw Solidarity Airport in Poland due to start by the end of the year.
It's expected to cost around £7bn and be up and running by 2028.
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Meanwhile, this major UK airport has revealed that it will undergo a £250m renovation.
And this little-known UK airport is due to get brand new Ryanair flights next year.
