ENAC

Air transport: Italia aims for 305 million passengers by 2035

Passenger traffic in Italy grew by 5% in 2025, one percentage point higher than the EU average

by Pietro Menzani

5 June 2026

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

European air traffic is growing, and the Italian market remains one of the most dynamic on the continent. The target, as announced by Pierluigi Di Palma, president of the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (Enac), is to increase passenger numbers from the current 230 million to 305 million by 2035.

The Italian market

The data contained in the Fact Book 2026 – the annual report by the ITSM Centre (ICCSAI Transport and Sustainable Mobility) – offers cause for optimism regarding the prospects of achieving this goal. In fact, in our country, passenger traffic grew by 5% in 2025, one percentage point higher than the European average. And the positive trend does not look set to stop in 2026: up to April, the increase stood at 4.2 per cent.

There are eight airports in Italy that handle 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 has surpassed the 50 million mark, ranks seventh in the European league table. Direct intercontinental connections from Italia are also improving, although a gap remains compared with the major European markets.

The Italian freight sector, however, appears less robust; this is partly due to international tensions and energy prices – grew by 1.7%, compared to a European average of 3.6%, and is showing signs of slowing down even in the early months of 2026. However, the figures for Milan Malpensa are positive, with growth of 4.3 per cent.

This confirms the significance of the market share held by low-cost airlines in terms of capacity – which in Italia accounts for 57.2% of the domestic market and over 60% of European routes – Ryanair remains the leading European carrier in 2025, carrying more than 200 million passengers.

ENAC’s objectives

Di Palma reiterates that, ‘as also outlined in the National Airport Plan recently finalised by Minister Salvini on the basis of ENAC’s proposals, investment is considered essential to ensure the projected growth in passenger traffic’.

According to the president of ENAC, reaching 305 million passengers by 2035 is a feasible target, but it is essential to have ‘a more effective and agile national system that streamlines the cumbersome bureaucratic procedures which, clearly, are holding back infrastructure projects. Investment is the lifeblood needed to support innovative and sustainable development, with the passenger at its centre – the true heart of the system.”

Usa, auto entra in aeroporto e si schianta al check-in

Government support

Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, speaking at the launch of the Fact Book 2026, noted that «the airport system and Italian air transport are experiencing a phase of solid, structural growth. The data highlight performance above the European average and positive results for many of our country’s airports. These figures demonstrate that investments in infrastructure, connectivity and airport development are having a tangible impact on Italia’s competitiveness”.

Rixi concludes that ‘in an international context characterised by geopolitical tensions and new economic challenges, it becomes even more important to continue investing in the resilience of infrastructure, the strengthening of intercontinental links and the sustainability of the sector. The Government is committed to supporting this growth with a pragmatic vision that combines development, innovation and environmental protection”.