ADVERTISEMENTThe pastel-painted villages and cliffs terraced with lemon groves of Italy’s Amalfi Coast attract some five million tourists a year.
But while the coastline is dreamy, the journey there is not. The easiest way to reach cities like Amalfi and Positano is to fly into Naples airport and then take a time-consuming combination of trains and buses to reach your final destination.
Travellers will be glad to hear that it will be easier to reach the UNESCO-designated region this year as a closer airport is set to start international flights.
Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is getting a facelift and opening as a commercial airport with flights starting as early as July 2024.
How to reach the Amalfi Coast in 2024
This year, travellers will be able to reach the Amalfi Coast via the newly reopened transport hub.
Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is situated 45 kilometres southeast of the city of Amalfi. It is also 21 kilometres from Salerno which is currently used as another entry point to the coastline where visitors arrive by train and change onto local buses.
The airfield was built in 1926 and has served as a military airport, flying school, firefighting centre and private airport over the years.
In 2007, modifications were made to open up the airport to commercial flights, but in 2016 it closed completely.
Now, Salerno Costa d’Amalfi will open to international services again from summer this year.
The runway has been extended and work is underway on a new passenger terminal which will be completed by 2027.
What airlines will fly to the Amalfi Coast in 2024?
On 11 July, Spanish budget airline Volotea will launch commercial flights from Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport.
The company has already announced four services connecting the coastline with Cagliari, Verona and Catania in Italy and Nantes in France.
Nantes and Cagliari flights will begin in July while Verona and Catania are scheduled to start in September.
Authorities say the development will continue until 2043, by which time the airport hopes to process some six million passengers a year.
The project has been welcomed by tourism and hospitality businesses along the coastline, but there are also concerns about the impact of increasing visitor numbers on the area’s infrastructure and natural environment.