Sicily is the most popular tourist destination in the Mediterranean and it is no coincidence that its airports are among the busiest ever. Millions of visitors, every year – not only in the summer – book their holidays in Catania, Palermo, Messina, Agrigento. And every year a new area of the island is added to the list of favourite destinations, as recently happened with Ragusa and Noto or in the Trapani area. Sicily can count on two efficient airports and on other minors that assist them. Let’s learn more about the island’s infrastructure.
AIRPORTS
Fontanarossa Catania (CTA)
Fontanarossa Airport, in Catania, is the second in terms of air traffic after Naples and therefore one of the most important in all of southern Italy. It was opened in 1924 and by the early 1960s it had already reached significant traffic levels, to the point that it was necessary to expand and modernize it. It currently operates with one runway and two terminals. It has a fair number of parking spaces and there are car and shuttle rentals, as well as public and private buses. Inside the airport there are many services, including restaurants, cafes, security points, banks.
Catania airport can handle over 10 million passengers a year. Unfortunately, given the proximity to the active volcano Mount Etna, it may happen that in case of eruptions the airport remains closed for a few hours. This in order to allow the runway to be cleaned of debris. An operation that usually takes place quite quickly.
Punta Raisi Palermo (PMO)
Palermo Airport opened in 1953 to handle more air traffic that would only increase over the years. It was expanded twice, in 1990 and in the early 2000s. Today it has a single terminal arranged on three levels, two long crossing runways and numerous services for the over 7 million passengers who transit here every year. Very well connected with the surrounding area, it uses taxis, buses, but also a direct railway line to ensure that people reach the city in a short time.
Trapani Birgi (TPS)
Since 1961 Trapani has also boasted a commercial airport, which adds to the military base already present in the area. The airport has one terminal building and two runways that serve around 500,000 people a year. It is connected to the area by taxi, bus and a railway line which stops at the small station of Mozia Birgi.
Comiso (CIY)
Comiso Airport was also born from a former military base and has been operational since 1981. It handles just under 400,000 passengers a year with a single runway and a terminal. Connections with the territory are mostly guaranteed by public and private buses.
STATIONS
Unfortunately, the railways in Sicily are not in good health and should be modernized and technologically upgraded. Choosing to explore Sicily by train is a very bad idea! However, some more populated areas of the island enjoy functional railway services and are well connected with the major railways of the continent. You can travel comfortably by train between Syracuse, Catania, Messina and Palermo.
Catania is served by a Central Station, located a stone’s throw from the historic center and equipped with all amenities – including the terminus stop for all local buses right in front of it. But there are also other stations in the city such as Acquicella and Catania Porto. The Central Station was built in 1867 and expanded in 1960. Today it has 9 platforms. There are bars, restaurants and shops.
The main stations in Palermo are: Centrale, Maredolce, Vespri and Notarbartolo. Palermo Centrale dates back to 1886, has 10 platforms and a series of services such as shops, restaurants, a chapel, a left-luggage office and an external bus and taxi terminus.
Syracuse has a central station of the early twentieth century, recently modernized. Here you find 8 platforms. Internally it has various services for travellers. Messina station was rebuilt in 1939, after the 1908 earthquake had destroyed the original nineteenth-century one. Today it has 10 passenger platforms and more freight platforms. A part of the station is directly connected with the port and with the ferries boarding area. The boarding in fact takes place without the passengers being forced to get off the train.