Airport Guide

History of Naples Airport

As with many major European airports, Naples was founded for military purposes, with the Italian Air Force setting up operations in the Capodichino area of the city in to defend against the attacks of the Germans and Austro-Hungarians during the First World War.

In the Second World War, the airport was then used first as a base for Italian and German planes and then as by the United States Air Army Forces for the duration of its campaign in the Mediterranean.

Once the fighting ceased, commercial air traffic was introduced in 1950, with a 20-year development plan seeing the introduction of passenger facilities and enhanced runways capable of welcoming jet-powered aircraft.

The airport steadily grew over the course of the 1970s and 80s in line with a general growth in international trade and tourism and in 1998 a 365-day-a-year upmarket shopping centre, the Galleria Napoli, was opened in Terminal 1.

More recently, a new departure lounge was opened in 2002 and to meet the ongoing rise in demand for cheap flights to Naples work is ongoing to enhance customer facilities at the airport, including the construction of a Metro station.

Travelling to Naples Airport

Travelling from the airport to downtown Naples is both quick and easy.

Most passengers make use of the Alibus services, which cover the 4.3 miles between the terminal buildings and the Piazza Garibaldi and the Piazza Municipio in the heart of the city at regular intervals.

In addition, bus services also connect the airport with a number of popular tourist destinations in the south of Italy, including Sorrento and Salerno, as well as with many towns surrounding Naples such as Avellino, Benevento and Serre.

For passengers looking for a faster link between the airport and the city centre, taxis operate fixed-rate services both downtown and to the Molo Beverello Port, where travellers can jump on a hydrofoil to Capri and the Ischia Islands.

Airlines Flying from Naples Airport

With a population of around three million people, Naples is currently the largest metropolitan area in Europe that does not serve as a main hub or even a secondary hub for any airline.

Despite this, the airline now handles more than five million passengers a year, with flyers offered dozens of international and domestic flight options.

Within Italy, Alitalia operates direct short-haul services to around a dozen cities, including Bologna, Catania, Gerona, Milan, Rome, Turin and Venice.

Additionally, Air Vallee operates budget flights to Rimini, Meridana Fly has services to Cagluari, Milan and Venice and Astraeus to Milan, while Air Italy jets to Catania, Milan, Olbia, Palermo, Turin and Verona.

On an international front, easyJet offers cheap flights to destinations including Basel, Berlin, Geneva, Ibiza, Liverpool, London and Paris, and Thomson Airways jets to Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle.

Also within Europe, Aer Lingus flies to Dublin, Air Berlin offers direct links to cities across Germany and Air France and Austrian Airlines link Paris and Vienna with Naples.

Meanwhile, Climber Sterling flies to Copenhagen, Luxair to Luxemburg, Transavia to Amsterdam and Veuling to Barcelona, while Wizz Air offers direct links between Naples and the Central European capitals of Bucharest, Budapest and Prague.