Airport World - Joe Bates
Natale Chieppa, managing director of Palermo-Falcone Borsellino Airport operator, Gesap, reflects on the vital role his gateway plays in the growth and development of Sicily.
How important is your airport to the city and region you serve in terms of connectivity, jobs and its economic and social impact?
All regional airports are important, but arguably those located on an island are even more crucial to the communities they serve, and PMO is no exception to that rule. Palermo is one of four airports in Sicily which between them traditionally handle around 19 million passengers per annum as they provide a very important connectivity role for the territory since, for many people and businesses, air transportation is the only way of travelling to and from Sicily.
To give that some perspective, in 2019, people living within our catchment area made an average of 3.8 trips each compared to 2.9 in the rest of Italy.
In terms of jobs, we estimate that at least 2,500 people are directly employed at PMO.
