Air transport, Italia aims for 305 million passengers by 2035
Italia's passenger traffic to grow by 5% in 2025, one percentage point more than the EU average
European air traffic is growing and Italy's is confirmed as one of the most dynamic markets on the entire continent. The objective, as announced by Pierluigi Di Palma, president of the National Civil Aviation Authority (Enac), is to increase from the current 230 million passengers to 305 million by 2035.
The Italia market
The data contained in the Fact Book 2026 - the annual report of the Itsm Centre - Iccsai Transport and Sustainable Mobility - bode well for the chances of reaching this goal. In our country, in fact, a 5% growth in passenger traffic has been recorded for 2025, one percentage point more than the European average. And the positive trend does not look set to stop in 2026: up to April, the increase was 4.2 per cent.
There are eight airports in the country with over 10 million passengers: Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa, Bergamo Orio al Serio, Naples Capodichino, Catania Fontanarossa, Venice Tessera, Bologna Borgo Panigale and Milan Linate. Rome Fiumicino, which exceeded the 50 million mark, ranks seventh in the European ranking. Direct intercontinental connections from Italia are also improving, although there is still a gap with the major European markets.
Italy's freight sector, on the other hand, appears less solid, which - thanks to international tensions and energy prices - grew by 1.7 per cent, compared to a European average of 3.6 per cent, and is also showing signs of slowing down in the early months of 2026. Positive, however, are the figures for Milan Malpensa, which recorded a growth of 4.3 per cent.
Confirming the importance of the market share in terms of capacity offered by low-cost airlines - which in Italy account for 57.2% of domestic and over 60% of European connections - Ryanair will remain the leading European carrier in 2025 with more than 200 million passengers.
