Getting to southern Italy’s sun-drenched Amalfi Coast should become a little easier from this year with the Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport set to open to commercial passengers.

The small airport, which has existed for almost 100 years but has until now been mainly used for military and private flights, is 45 kilometres (28 miles) south-east of the town of Amalfi and is expected to be an easier access point for visitors.

At the moment, most people travelling to the Amalfi Coast fly into Naples before taking a combination of trains and buses south to reach the holiday hotspot, known for its clifftop lemon groves and pastel-coloured villages.

The airport’s runway is expected to be extended to 2,200 meters by 2024, and a new passenger terminal is set to be completed by 2027.

The airport was granted permission to operate commercial flights in January, and the first flights are expected to begin from July this year.

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Spanish budget airline Volotea has already announced four services connecting Salerno Costa d’Amalfi with Cagliari, Verona and Catania in Italy and Nantes in France.

The Nantes and Cagliari flights will begin in July while Verona and Catania are scheduled to start in September.

Management says the project will continue until 2043, by which time the airport hopes to accommodate six million passengers a year.

“The new terminal, once completed, will cover an area of about 16,000 square meters and reflect the highest environmental standards both in terms of energy efficiency and the use of natural and sustainable materials, and will be equipped with a photovoltaic system for reducing CO2 emissions,” the airport’s management company, GESAC, said as it outlined the development plan.

The opening is hoped to help relieve pressure on Naples’ busy Capodichino International Airport, which had a record 12.4 million passengers in 2023.

Local tourism businesses have enthusiastically welcomed the plan, though not everyone thinks making Amalfi easier to visit is a good idea – there have long been concerns about, and attempts to limit, congestion in the highly popular destination.