A NEW £400million airport terminal will open right on the coast of a popular holiday destination this month.
British tourists will be able to jet off to the European hotspot for as little as £35.
Nestled amid steep cliffs overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno, the Amalfi Coast of Italy is renowned for its winding lanes and pastel fishing communities.
But as of right now, the only airport that provides direct access to the area is Naples.
That will all change when the first aircraft take off and land at the recently revamped Pontecagnano (Salerno) Airport early next month.
Built in 1926 as a military airport, it is currently being renovated into a state-of-the-art commercial transportation hub with an emphasis on energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
The completion of a brand new passenger terminal is planned for 2026.
However, the airport will begin limited flight operations in mid-July, in the interim.
British budget carriers are already planning their first routes from London Gatwick airport to the picturesque coast.
EasyJet is set to launch flights to Salerno on July 13, with subsequent flights taking place every Tuesday and Saturday.
The journey to the little Italian haven will set you back only £35, according to EasyJet’s website.
RyanAir will follow suit with new routes from London Stansted expected to take off in August.
More than £400million has been spent on the development, which will boast a longer runway and a new parking area for passengers.
When the airport fully opens, there will be five new boarding gates, with state of the art systems introduced to make it as environmentally friendly as possible.
The staggering investment was also pumped into the extension of the Salerno metro to the airport, with 9km of new metro that will flank the Salerno Battipaglia railway line with 5 new stops.
Further funding has been made in the road network as well as more than £214million on the construction of the airport’s commercial structures.
THE city of Salerno isn’t as chaotic as the heaving streets of Naples, but it still has more of a buzz than the quiet towns of Ravello and Minori on the shimmering Amalfi coast.
Plus it’s cheap.
Our three-night getaway cost about £100pp, including return flights, transfers and hotel.
Everything in Salerno is within walking distance, from shopping to restaurants — and even the ferry port, where you can grab a boat over to glamorous Positano.
WHERE SHOULD I EAT?
Forget the Amalfi Coast if you’re on a budget.
The food is just as fresh in Salerno — possibly even better, in my experience — but it won’t cost you a fortune.
At 8pm, a queue forms outside Mamma Rosa, a small, inconspicuous restaurant hidden down a side street with budget dinners that will blow your socks off.
It’s proper Italian grub cooked and served by a proper Italian nonna, Mamma Rosa.
There aren’t many tables, so go early and make sure you’ve had a light lunch as the portion sizes of fresh octopus ragu pasta, fried anchovies with fennel and traditional Amalfi lemon desserts are huge.
Grab some wine too — it costs £7 for a litre of very decent red or white.
When you tire of pizza, pasta and gelato, book a table at Prunus (prunus.it).
At £25 a head, the all-you-can-eat sushi menu is unbeatable value and has the sort of food you’d expect from a fancy, high-end restaurant in a British city.
I FANCY A DRINK . . .
Walk along the seafront and pretty much all of the cafes serve classic Aperol spritz and local wine.
They may seem like quiet coffee shops in the day, but at night these cosy spots come alive, with locals spilling out on to the streets.
If you’re after something special, then Passa Duomo faces the chalky steps to a magnificent cathedral and sells terrific cocktails, from colourful blue Mai Tais to marshmallow White Russians in the coolest street setting.
They host regular music events too so check out their Instagram or Facebook page ahead of visiting.
WHERE SHOULD I STAY?
The Plaza Hotel is in the centre of the city and opposite the train station.
Double rooms cost about £66 a night.
Or stay in the Grand Hotel, which overlooks the sea and has a snazzy bar serving Aperol spritz and cocktails for less than £7.
Designer, Alfonso Femia, from the architectural company responsible for creating the airport said: “The terminal should be an integral part of the passengers’ journey and exploration of the region, the beginning and end of their experience.”
It’s hoped that the new terminal will eventually serve three million visitors after its first three years.
In doing so, it will take pressure off nearby Naples-Capodichino Airport, minimising delays and ensuring smoother travel.
Currently more than 100 destinations are connected to Naples Airport, via airlines including Ryanair, easyJet, KLM, Vueling, Wizz Air and others.
Il Sole claim that Napoli is in need of “relief” due to being “flooded”.
They wrote: “It is an airport that will obviously also give great relief to Naples-Capodichino, which is a flooded airport.”
Prior to its closure for the renovations, the airport used to offer flights to holiday destinations including Ibiza, Corfu and Malta, as well as other Italian hotspots.
It comes as a lesser-known airport is looking to become one of the UK’s most popular transport hubs, with ambitious plans to triple passenger numbers.
Meanwhile, a Chinese airline is set to launch its first-ever flights from the UK to the other side of the world.
The incredible new journey will take travellers from Manchester on a 5,700 mile trip to one of the world’s largest cities.
