Airports, boom in small airports Passengers more than doubled

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Air traffic at Italian airports marked a clear recovery in 2022, almost recovering the levels reached at the end of 2019, considered a record year. The number of passengers stood at a level of 85% compared to 2019 at 164.6 million: a total that represents more than double the passengers of 2021 when the effects of the pandemic had limited the number of passengers to 80.7 million. people who had flown.

The final balance for the year that has just ended was released by Assaeroporti: from the balance sheet for the year it emerged that the recovery was mainly driven by small and medium-sized airports with a number of passengers below 15 million, in which the levels of the 2019. In reality, real booms have been recorded in small ports. The impression is that in 2022 the use of airplanes for holidays by the sea and in the mountains has increased: at least this seems to be demonstrated by the exploits of Foggia, Bolzano, Trapani, Brindisi, Alghero and Bari.

Cargo growth

But there is another interesting fact that emerges from the numbers: the growth of the cargo sector, which with 1.1 million tons of goods transported stood at +1.7% compared to 2021 and at +0, 3% on 2019. Malpensa airport, with over 720 thousand tons, confirms its national leadership. An important part of the reorganization of the national airport system is being concentrated on this segment. In November, the Ministry of Infrastructure closed a consultation on the reorganization plan drawn up by ENAC. More than 200 submissions were submitted from the industry; one of the indications that emerged from the operators is that of leaving the market dynamics free to establish on which ports the strengthening of the cargo sector can be sustainable.

The Enac plan explained that in recent years the cargo sector at a global level has been recording a performance that has been decidedly positive even in the years of the pandemic; on a national scale, the paradox to be analyzed concerns the fact that Italian movements represent 5.5% of European volumes, while the weight for passengers is equal to 11.6%. There is therefore an important growth margin which coincides with the approximately 6% that is missing to close the gap. The theme, however, according to ENAC is that to support growth what is somehow considered an excessive diffusion of cargo areas in national airports needs to be reorganised. «The Italian airports that are relevant in the transport of goods – it is explained – are Malpensa, Fiumicino, Venice Tessera, Brescia Montichiari, Taranto Grottaglie, Ancona Falconara, Catania Fontanarossa, Cagliari, Lamezia Terme. Other airports such as Bergamo, Bologna, Pisa, Ciampino, Taranto and Naples, although currently handling large quantities of goods, do not have the sustainable conditions for a further substantial development in cargo”. This proposed direction has probably turned out to be a little drastic and the plan is now being modulated so as to accompany a rebalancing of the cargo by assessing the economic return of the business on a case-by-case basis.

Good Milan Linate and Bari

Returning to the data released yesterday, the ranking of medium-sized airports (between 5 and 15 million passengers), which shows those that have grown the most in percentage terms compared to 2019, sees Linate in the lead (+17.5%); Bari (+11.9%); Palermo (+1.4%); Naples at 10.9 million (+0.5%), while Catania recorded a decrease of 1.2% (10 million). The airports between 1 and 5 million see leaders Brindisi (+13.6% with 3 million passengers), Alghero (+10.3% with 1.5 million), Olbia (+6.3% with 3.16 million ), Turin (+6.1% with 4.19 million passengers), while Cagliari suffered a decrease of 7.4% (4.39 million passengers). The small airports, with less than a million passengers, are the ones that have experienced a real boom: +1,721% for Foggia; + 513.9% for Bolzano; + 116.7 for Trapani; +81.6% for Grosseto and +73.4% for Cuneo.