Air transport has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. What, in your opinion, are the priorities for the airports in the post-pandemic period?

The figures of the crisis that has hit airport operators are well known: a loss of over 3 billion euros in revenues and an overall Covid-19-related damage of over 1.5 billion euro since March 2020; a significant drop in the number of passengers (-83% in the first 12 months since the beginning of the pandemic compared to the previous 12 months); an impossibility to reduce extra costs and charges related to the health emergency. Despite these figures, air transport safety and putting the passengers first were and still are key elements for the whole sector. Our prompt and effective response to the pandemic emergency, with a punctual implementation of complex healthcare protocols, has contributed to restore our passengers’ trust. This is testified by the fact that higher numbers of national air traffic were recorded last summer compared to 2019. Still, an enormous part of our market sector remains to be tackled: we must make up for international service and fully restore air connections in order to link and make larger areas accessible.

9/11 and the Covid-19 pandemic: two exceptional events for aviation. What is the difference between the two and what kind of flaws in the system did they bring to light?

To some experts in the field the current crisis does not differ essentially from the one which followed the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in September 2001, when people became afraid of flying, there was a sudden, severe decline in air transport, and a lot of airlines were in serious financial stress (in Europe, Sabena and Swissair went bankrupt). To support the sector, the US Government stood by American airlines by giving them a cash injection of over 5 billion dollars. Of course, you cannot compare the scope and impact of these events – however, the Biden Administration has just set aside 25 billion dollars (8 billion is non-refundable and is already being paid out) to help the airport industry cope with the crisis caused by the pandemic. Unfortunately, Europe’s response is not pointing in the same direction as the USA; rather, there are short-sighted efforts, in the Commission, to hinder the recovery of the aviation industry. To bridge this gap, we need to carry out an effective action plan towards stakeholders and the public, also with the cooperation of ACI Europe, and call for greater coordination both on the European and international levels.

What is the future of Italian airports, and what challenges are in store, also taking into account your Three-year Plan on key issues like sustainability, digitisation and intermodality?

Sustainability, digitisation and intermodality are the keys to the development of the Italian airport system: airports have been committed to these for years now, and we need to boost the implementation of programmes in this area. The future is going to be increasingly smarter and greener: take, for example, the passengers’ seamless experience, the integrated logistic systems for freight, the Sustainable Aviation Fuels, Urban Air Mobility services, and many others. Of course, developing intermodality, improving accessibility to airport infrastructures, and promoting synergy among operators will be essential.

Assaeroporti and ENAV have always had good working relationships: what steps forward could be taken to make air transport system even more efficient?

I hope the fruitful cooperation ENAV and Assaeroporti have had for years will continue and even become stronger in the near future, considering the exceptional challenges we will be meeting. I am sure that we will soon be dealing with sky saturation and ground infrastructures again together. We are expected to implement a major, comprehensive efficiency process for our sector, and in this regard technological innovation and digitisation will allow us to better use the capacity we already have in line with European regulations.

The airport system is a major strategic resource for our Country, as it can produce relevant economic and social returns. How could this sector be promoted?

Nowadays, the role of air transport in Italy’s economic and social growth is underestimated. Of course we know that, but, how many Italians know that it accounts for 3.6% of Italy’s GDP, that we directly employ 150,000 and about 880,000 indirect workers? How many people really know that air transport is the safest mode of transport? How many people are aware of the enormous potential of air transport in terms of social and cultural integration between nations? We need to overcome the resistance of our current critics who see us in a negative light. For this reason, Assaeroporti’s commitment to this issue will be stronger and stronger and we will start from what we have already achieved and from the tangible goals we have set for ourselves.