National Airports Plan 2026-2035: the new Italian network
The proposal for the National Airports Plan 2026-2035, drawn up by ENAC together with the competent Directorate General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, has been published. In the next few days, ENAC will launch the second and final phase of the Strategic Environmental Assessment at the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security.
The National Airports Plan 2026-2035 defines the guidelines for the development of air transport and the Italian airport network over the next decade. Drawn up by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport with the technical collaboration of ENAC, the document aims to strengthen connectivity, accessibility, sustainability, technological innovation and integration of airports with other modes of transport.
The Plan assumes 2023 as the year of the full recovery of national air traffic after the pandemic. Market forecasts, on the other hand, take into account the data and the different recovery paths observed at airports in 2024.
In the baseline scenario, the potential demand is estimated at around 305 million passengers in 2035. In the chapter specifically dedicated to forecasts, the value is indicated at 304.6 million, with a growth of 39.3% compared to 2024 and an average annual rate of 3.1%. The document specifies that the estimates must be periodically updated and may differ from the forecasts drawn up by the individual airport operators.
The 41 airports of national interest
The PNA identifies 41 Italian airports of national interest.
Airports of national interest
Alghero, Ancona, Bari, Bergamo, Bologna, Bolzano, Brescia, Brindisi, Cagliari, Catania, Comiso, Crotone, Cuneo, Florence, Foggia, Forlì, Genoa, Lamezia Terme, Lampedusa, Milan Linate, Milan Malpensa, Naples, Olbia, Palermo, Pantelleria, Parma, Perugia, Pescara, Pisa, Reggio Calabria, Rimini, Rome Ciampino, Rome Fiumicino, Salerno, Taranto Grottaglie, Turin, Trapani, Treviso, Trieste, Venice and Verona.
New airports of national interest
Compared to the previous Plan attached to Presidential Decree 201/2015, the airports of Bolzano, Forlì and Foggia are also recognized as being of national interest, also by virtue of their belonging to the new integrated airport systems. The other airports are associated with the wider national support network.
The qualification of airport of national interest, provided for by Article 698 of the Navigation Code, is the only legally relevant classification. Alongside this, the Plan introduces a snapshot of the "relative prevalence" of individual airports, drawn up on the basis of current traffic and connectivity data.
Airports of prevalent intercontinental importance
Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice are qualified as airports of prevalent intercontinental importance.
Airports of major international importance
Bologna, Bergamo, Naples, Catania, Florence, Pisa, Bari, Milan Linate, Palermo and Turin are instead indicated as airports of prevalent international importance.
These indications do not attribute definitive roles: they may change with the evolution of the market, the demand for mobility and the strategies of airport managers.
The 13 integrated airport systems
The Plan goes beyond the previous concept of traffic basin and organizes airports of national interest into 13 integrated systems:
- North West: Genoa, Turin and Cuneo;
- Lombardy: Malpensa, Linate, Bergamo and Brescia;
- North East: Venice, Treviso, Trieste, Verona and Bolzano;
- Emilia-Romagna: Bologna, Parma, Rimini and Forlì;
- Tuscan: Florence and Pisa;
- Central: Ancona, Pescara and Perugia;
- Lazio: Fiumicino and Ciampino;
- Campania: Naples and Salerno;
- Pugliese: Bari, Brindisi, Taranto and Foggia;
- Calabria: Lamezia Terme, Reggio Calabria and Crotone;
- Eastern Sicily: Catania, Comiso and Pantelleria;
- Western Sicily: Palermo, Trapani and Lampedusa;
- Sardinia: Cagliari, Alghero and Olbia.
Integrated systems will have to foster collaboration between airports, the most efficient use of available capacity, common planning of accessibility and a more coordinated development of territories. Their establishment does not necessarily require changes in the ownership of concessions or the creation of a single management company.
The deficit of direct intercontinental flights
The Plan notes a structural weakness of Italy in the intercontinental market. The total number of passengers traveling between Italy and non-European countries is significantly higher than the seats offered on direct flights, with an intercontinental deficit indicated of about 20%.
A significant part of Travellers is therefore forced to use foreign airports as stopover points. On the contrary, Italy intercepts few international passengers in transit through its airports.
To reduce this gap, the Plan indicates the strengthening of intercontinental traffic at Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice. Subsequently, other national airports with sufficient local demand and adequate aeronautical infrastructure will also be able to develop long-haul connections.
The expansion of the direct offer is also considered strategic to increase the international tourist attractiveness of the Italian territories.
More connections between airports and the territory
Intermodality is one of the pillars of the NAP. The document aims to improve airport connections with national and regional rail networks, local public transport, road and motorway infrastructure, bus services and, where possible, cycle and pedestrian paths.
Airports will have to be included in local public transport plans as real intermodal hubs, useful not only to passengers but also to local communities.
The Plan sets differentiated objectives for the share of sustainable accessibility:
- for airports of intercontinental importance, 35% in 2030 and 50% in 2035;
- for airports of international importance, 25% in 2030 and 40% in 2035;
- for the remaining airports of national importance, 15% in 2030 and 30% in 2035.
The methods of calculation and recording of these quotas will be defined by a subsequent MIT technical document.
Prioritizing existing infrastructure
The Plan does not generally promote the construction of airport infrastructure from scratch. Priority is given to optimizing existing capacities, improving operational efficiency, and renovating or retrofitting facilities that have become obsolete.
The construction of a new infrastructure will have to be supported by an analysis capable of clearly demonstrating its environmental and social benefits compared to the existing situation.
The development of individual airports will also have to be evaluated considering possible collaborations with other airports in the same integrated system, especially in territories where the areas of attraction overlap or some airports have capacity limitations.
Quality of services and protection of passengers
The Plan attributes a central role to the quality of the travel experience. ENAC will have to verify the service standards expected and achieved by the airports, promoting the necessary interventions and applying any corrective mechanisms towards the operators.
Particular attention is paid to people with disabilities and families with small children. The document expressly mentions the stroller return service, which will have to be enhanced and made fully and comfortably usable.
The terminals will also have to have adequate and flexible spaces, also based on the experience gained during the pandemic, ensuring a safe and quality passenger experience.
Biometrics, smart security and digital towers
Digitalisation will have to affect the entire airport route, from control towers to terminals.
The goal is to offer passengers smoother, faster and more autonomous procedures, reducing waiting times through systems such as biometric recognition, smart security and contactless technologies.
The PNA also recalls the programs developed by ENAV for the introduction of Remote Digital Towers, which allow air traffic control to be managed remotely. According to the paper, these technologies can improve infrastructure operations, reduce operating costs and foster collaboration between airports.
Sustainability and new fuels
The Plan is part of the international path towards the goal of net zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.
Airports will have to adapt their infrastructure to allow the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Low Carbon Aviation Fuels and other energy sources for aviation, including electric, renewable and hydrogen.
Addresses also include:
- improving the energy efficiency of infrastructure;
- the spread of renewable energy;
- the development of smart buildings;
- the adaptation of airports to climate change;
- the reduction of noise emissions;
- the introduction of digital systems to monitor noise pollution;
- the involvement of local communities.
The document also refers to the international CORSIA program and the Airport Carbon Accreditation certifications.
Municipal surcharge on airline tickets
The Plan provides for a broader evaluation of the municipal surcharge on boarding fees, the tax included in the price of tickets for passengers departing from Italian airports.
According to the document, the regulatory framework should be reviewed to arrive at a progressive reduction of the tax, starting with the smallest airports.
However, the NAP proposes to retain the quotas allocated to the Air Transport Fund and airport municipalities. The reduction of the burden is indicated as a measure potentially favorable to the connectivity and competitiveness of the national airport network.
Advanced Air Mobility and Support Network
The Plan dedicates space to new forms of transport, including Advanced and Urban Air Mobility, suborbital navigation and hypersonic navigation.
Airports with extremely limited commercial traffic and general aviation airports will form a support air network. These infrastructures can become terminals of widespread, innovative and sustainable mobility, developed in relation to the needs of local territories.
The development of air cargo
The Plan also analyzes Italy's position in air cargo transport. The contribution of Italian airports to European cargo movements is indicated at 6.8%, while the national share in European passenger traffic is 12%.
In 2023, Italy recorded 303 billion euros in exports to non-EU countries. Of these, 74 billion, or about 25%, were transported by air.
The NAP therefore identifies a series of interventions intended to make the logistics process more competitive and to strengthen the role of Italian airports in the international freight market.
A Plan to be updated periodically
The PNA of Italian airports is not conceived as an immutable document. The airline industry, airline strategies and the conditions of individual airports can change rapidly. For this reason , the Plan will be updated periodically, starting from 2027, in order to incorporate the evolution of traffic, infrastructure, technologies and economic and geopolitical conditions.
At the heart of the National Airports Plan 2026-2035 are Italian airports that are more integrated with each other and with the territory, greater intermodality, digitization, sustainability and a more efficient and competitive national network. For further information, data and info, please refer to the official document.
