When, in the mid-1990s, Denver in Colorado was equipped with an entirely new airport, the roof of the main building with white ‘pinnacles’ became iconic: the reference, the architects said, was to the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains surrounding the ‘Mile High City’. But someone else saw the ‘tepees’, the Native American tents.
Such was, however, the impact of that coverage that the roof has since become one of the distinctive elements in the construction of some of the new terminals built around the world in the last thirty years. This is the case, for example, in Astana in Kazakhstan, where the wavy glass roof of the terminal built eight years ago aims to recall the waves of the Caspian Sea. This will be the case, in 2025, for the new Malè terminal (in this case the ‘waves’ are those of the Indian Ocean).
And the same will happen, in 2026, in the new terminal of Salerno-Costa d’Amalfi airportwhere the architects are inspired by the canvas covers supported by wooden poles of the famous lemon groves to create the roof of the new terminal, which will replace the existing one today.
In a month, on 11 July, the Campania airport will reopen to commercial air traffic equipped with brand new ‘airside’ infrastructure. The works started in 2020 led to the repaving of the aircraft apron, the resurfacing of the taxiways and, above all, the runway, which has also been lengthened from the previous 1,650 meters to the current 2,000 metresallowing takeoffs and landings for aircraft in the A320 family category and Boeing 737.
Previously, scheduled flights had been operated between 2008 and 2013 by some airlines, including Air Dolomiti, SkyBridge AirOps, Danube Wings and, between December 2010 and March 2012, Alitalia. In spring-summer 2016 the Maltese carrier Medavia operated seasonal charter flights there. Then, practically nothing.
On 11 July, competing for the first landing in Salerno will be an Airbus A319 of the Spanish low-cost Volotea coming from Nantes and an Easyjet A320 from Milanor. We at The Flight Club will be rooting for the latter as that day we will be on board the flight from Malpensa.
The flight plan for summer-autumn 2024 is quite modest for now: Volotea and easyjet will be the only two carriers present at the ‘Amalfi Coast’. At the biweekly connection with Nantes, the Spanish low-cost will add one with Cagliari (also biweekly) from 13 July and, from 2 September, those with Verona and Cataniaalso biweekly.
Easyjetfor his part, as well as Milan (connected three times a week) will also serve Berlin, Geneva and Basel from 12 July and its main hub of London Gatwick from 13 July (all bi-weekly connections). Doing a quick calculation, the operation will arrive at the beginning of September at 19 weekly flights (provided that in the meantime other carriers do not choose to join the party).
But, with that name (‘Amalfi Coast’) and with an enviable position in the municipality of Pontecagnano (21km south of Salerno) about thirty kilometers from the capital of the Amalfi Coastas many from Paestum and an hour’s drive from Palinuro and (a little more) from Maratea, the airport is an excellent alternative to Naples-Capodichino for leisure traffic who prefers to avoid the time and stress needed to leave the metropolitan area of the Campania capital, also traveling less distance to reach his final destination.
For about a year, passengers will use the terminal built in 2007. Then, according to the plans of Gesac (the same airport operator as Capodichino), they will come temporarily housed in the general aviation terminal which will open its doors in 2025.
Finally, by the end of 2026, they will move to the brand new terminal which will be built in place of the current one (which will be demolished).
The structure, which will be built on two floors with check-in and arrivals on the ground floor and departures on the first floor where five boarding bridges will be installed, will be able to handle up to 3.5 million passengers a year, with an expansion to 5, 5 million expected within twenty years.
And it will be too the first new airport terminal built in Italy from scratch since 2005when the one in Bari Palese was built.
