Agrigento Airport, Romagnoli (AP): “An opportunity for rebirth for the area”

Objective: to stimulate the economic development of the entire Agrigento area. Build an airport in Agrigento, which is preparing to become the Italian capital of culture in 2025.

During the meeting, which took place in recent days, between the candidate for the European elections with Popular alternativeMassimo Romagnoli, and the board of Civic Committee Airport Central Southern Sicily, we discussed European funding for the construction of a new airport in Agrigento. “This project represents a work of extraordinary importance, destined to stimulate the economic development of the entire Agrigento area – declares Romagnoli – the airport project is currently being examined by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), in collaboration with the ‘National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC). Despite past controversies, recent statements indicate a serious assessment of its feasibility.”

The origins of the project date back to 2005, under the then governor Totò Cuffaro, when it was included in the regional transport and mobility plan of the Sicilian Region. At the time, 35 million euros were allocated for its construction, but the project was blocked due to controversies between entrepreneurs, unions and the opposition of ENAC.

Today, thanks to the efforts of the deputy Ida Carmina (M5s) and Calogero Pisano (Noi Moderati), together with the extraordinary commissioner of Free Consortium of Municipalities of Agrigento, Giovanni Bologna, the dream of Agrigento airport has been reborn. The new project includes an economic-financial study for the construction of an airport that will serve the province of Agrigento and the central-southern area of ​​Sicily, with a significant catchment area. A fundamental public work for the socio-economic relaunch of the territory.

The location of the airport is yet to be defined, but the Racalmuto and Licata plains emerge among the options. Once built, the airport in question will be the seventh in Sicily, and will join the airports of Palermo, Catania, Trapani, Comiso, Lampedusa and Pantelleria; it will also represent a significant turning point for the city and the entire region, guaranteeing greater visibility and further opportunities for tourism and economic development.

“Agrigento airport is not just an infrastructure – explains Romagnoli – but a promise of growth and rebirth for a territory. Agrigento has a natural tourist vocation and an invaluable cultural heritage. The construction of an airport will not only improve the accessibility of the city, but will also create new job opportunities and attract investments. It is a work – concludes Romagnoli – that can radically transform the territory, bringing benefits that will go far beyond the tourism sector”.