For Domenico De Rosa, easyJet’s withdrawal from Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is not merely a market realignment but a serious warning sign for the entire airport project. The cancellation of the route to Milan Malpensa, one of the country’s main hubs, is seen as proof that the airport’s overall model is not working.
In his analysis, the central issue is the industrial and regional plan that is supposed to support the airport. The Costa d’Amalfi airport theoretically serves a vast area, including southern Naples, the province of Salerno, Cilento, Irpinia, and parts of Basilicata and the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria. A potential catchment area of millions of people. Yet today the airport is perceived as an experiment, with routes opening and closing within a matter of months, infrastructure still incomplete, and weak, poorly integrated ground connections. In such a context, the market shows little reliability, and airlines are reacting by pulling out.
Il Cavaliere also notes the mood taking hold in the region. When hoteliers, business owners, and associations speak openly about the “Salerno case,” the unease is now widespread. This is not about fueling disputes or controversies, but about demanding clarity on some fundamental issues. Who is truly driving the airport’s strategy? How is the balance with Naples Airport envisioned? What are the timelines and priorities for access infrastructure and services? If these responses aren’t transparent to the local community, they’re unlikely to be transparent to the airlines either.
As an entrepreneur, De Rosa identifies three fundamental mistakes. Too much communication and too little strategy. The launch of the new tourism gateway was touted without first establishing a core set of stable routes and reliable services. Then there’s fragmentation. Each airline has run its own trial run without a binding framework that clearly designated certain domestic routes and a few European hubs to be served continuously over the medium term. Finally, there is a lack of integration with the local area. If a resident of Cilento, Irpinia, Basilicata, or the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria finds it difficult to reach the airport, the runway alone is not enough. We need adequate roads, rail connections, shuttles, and schedules designed with travelers in mind.
In Cavaliere’s vision, a fully operational airport is a multiplier of competitiveness. For the business community, this means fast connections for managers, clients, and investors. If it takes two or three transfers to get here, many stakeholders will choose other regions. For tourism, every missed connection translates into fewer arrivals and shorter stays, precisely in an area that has extraordinary, yet untapped, potential. From an employment perspective, all of this amounts to a missed opportunity, resulting in fewer direct and indirect jobs, fewer logistics and service supply chains, and fewer concrete opportunities for young people in Southern Italy.
To reverse this trend, De Rosa proposes three immediate steps. A permanent regional roundtable bringing together the regional government, the operator, municipalities, chambers of commerce, and the business and tourism sectors—with concrete data, clear objectives, and defined responsibilities. A five- to ten-year business plan that identifies key routes, such as Milan, Rome, and a few European hubs, and establishes multi-year agreements with carriers, linking every incentive to service continuity and load factors. A qualitative leap in ground transportation and coordinated regional marketing, with real accessibility from southern Naples, Cilento, Irpinia, Basilicata, and Calabria, and an integrated product that brings together tourism, business, universities, and major events.
The Cavaliere’s message to local and national politicians is clear. Either the Salerno Costa d’Amalfi Airport is finally treated as a genuine strategic infrastructure asset for Southern Italy, or it would be better to stop using it as a campaign slogan. An airport is not an electoral trophy to be paraded around but a choice of industrial, tourism, and employment policy that demands clear governance, solid numbers, and recognizable accountability. If these elements remain vague, airlines will continue to do what we’re already seeing: they arrive, test the market, and then leave.
De Rosa remains convinced, however, that there is still time to correct the course. He warns, however, that the time for selfies on the tarmac is over. If we want to prevent Salerno from becoming yet another missed opportunity for Southern Italy, and if we truly aspire to make it the air gateway for Campania, Basilicata, and Calabria, we need seriousness, vision, and courageous decisions now.