Despite being in dire straits 10 years ago, Palermo Airport in Sicily is revolutionised itself into one of Italy’s airport succes stories and is now looking forward to a bright future, according to Giovanni Battista Scalia, Chief Executive Officer, GESAP, Aeroporto di Palermo. He revealed that the airport expects to see a return to 2019 passenger traffic levels by 2023.
Battista was speaking at this year’s ACI Europe Regional Airports Conference and Exhibition, which Palermo Airport is hosting this week at the city’s stunning Teatro Massimo.
Up until the pandemic Palermo Airport had been experiencing steady growth with passenger numbers growing from 4 million in 2013 to 7 million in 2019. “We were lucky that we were able to remain open and serving flights throughout the pandemic,” said Battista admitting that passenger flights were significantly reduced during this period. And while the focus for the airport has previously been on serving European destinations (which were increasing consistently) in 2019 it was looking at building connectivity with Turkey and the US – a focus it plans to continue with now passenger traffic is returning.
The airport is currently undergoing an extensive upgrade having already implemented a runway resurfacing project and completed a new arrivals hall. The three-floor terminal which continues to undergo renovation works currently features 36 check-in kiosks, 20 gates, 7 loading bridges and 1 VIP lounge. Once complete the new terminal will be 40% larger than the current facility. It will feature a new commercial area, departures lounge, security gate and lounge area. It will also take advantage of its coastal location with panoramic views of the sea, a new food & beverage offering to reflect local Sicilian cuisine, as well as street food and international dishes.
Designed to accommodate continued passenger growth in the future, the new terminal has been created to accommodate up to 12 million passengers.
“We were fortunate in that we remained open and serving airline traffic throughout the pandemic,” said Battista. “As a result of that there has been a big focus on health and hygiene and we have invested heavily on IT systems and temperature control technology to cater for this. It was important that we offered support to passengers and our airport teams throughout the pandemic, so we offered free COVID-19 testing and also offered an incentive programme to encourage airlines to remain/ return to the airport and help with their recovery,” he added.
Looking forward, the environment and decarbonisation will continue to be big talking points for the airport with a solar project currently in discussion with electric power provider ENE and various other environmentally friendly projects underway.
Additional investments at the airport include a new cargo area, the expansion of the airport’s car parking facilities, new boarding docks, the adaptation of the Baggage Handling System to enhance hold baggage screening, improved energy and environmental efficiency and the creation of a natural park connected to the terminal by an architect-designed bridge.
