Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport, classified as a "strategic airport" in the centre-north area of the National Airports Plan prepared by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, in 2017 was the eighth biggest Italian airport by passenger numbers, with 8.2 million passengers, of which 76% on international flights.
Located in the heart of the Emilian food valley and the automotive and packaging industrial districts, the airport has a catchment area of about 11 million inhabitants with an extremely high concentration of internationally oriented enterprises and with commercial expansion policies to Eastern Europe and Asia. The area is also one of the most relevant tourist destinations of the country. Such features make Marconi Airport attractive for a balanced blend of both leisure and business passengers.
In 2017 106 destinations were served from Bologna: the presence at the airport of some of the largest airlines in Europe along with some of the leading low-cost carriers and the close link with International hubs make Bologna Italy's fourth airport for global connectivity (Source: ICCSAI - Fact Book 2017) and the first in Europe in terms of growth of connectivity in the decade from 2004 to 2014 (Source: ACI Europe Airport Connectivity Report 2004-2014).
As for airport infrastructure, the airport has recently completed a major upgrade and expansion of the passenger terminal, while the capacity of aeronautical infrastructure is deemed adequate to accommodate the expected growth over the coming years. The company's aim is to make Bologna Airport one of the most modern and functional in Italy, an important gateway to the city and region.