Infrastructure Work
Aeroporto Marconi di Bologna Spa has unveiled an ambitious Investment Plan valued at 216 million euros, spanning five years from 2023 to 2027. Of this, around 30 million was spent in 2023.
The Plan includes:
- Major infrastructural upgrades to improve the management of some areas of the Terminal and support passenger and merchandise traffic;
- Sustainability interventions necessary to mitigate the environmental footprint of the airport's operations and to achieve carbon neutrality commitments by 2030;
- technological and process Innovation interventions to create a smart and digital airport, identifying practical solutions to enhance the customer experience and developing tools to support the business and an agile organisation.
These are the most significant interventions planned for 2023-2027, with some already concluded and others set to extend beyond the five-year timeframe:
- New detention basin
- Expansion of lot III apron
- Refurbishment of the Cargo Area
- Reconfiguration of the walkway and external area of the first floor of the Terminal
- Upgrading of the Security area and Passport control area
- Reconfiguration of the Schengen Departures hall
- Creation of a wooded area north of the runway
- New multistorey car park
- Non-Schengen Gateroom
- Expansion of the passenger terminal
- North airside photovoltaic plant
Regarding the Departures hall, the Schengen Boarding hall is expanding southwards into what is currently the land-side corridor on the first floor.
This work, set for completion in 2025, will lead to an 82% increase in operational space and 94% more seating compared to current levels.
In the long term, the plan is to expand the Terminal by constructing a new Departures and Arrivals Pier, increasing the surface area by about 25,000 square metres on two levels and optimising passenger embarkation and disembarkation times. The re-engineering of the project is currently underway, with work slated to begin in 2027 following the completion of various authorisation stages.
For the Security and Passport Control areas, work is underway to expand and upgrade the queuing spaces and replace the existing X-ray machines with the new ‘standard 3’ machines. These innovative machines offer a superior security standard for hand luggage checks, enabling passengers to keep liquids and electronic devices in their baggage during security screening. While upgrades to the Passport Control area have been completed, the enhancements to the Security area are expected to conclude by mid-2025.
Regarding car parks, work has begun on a new multistorey facility comprising two buildings with eight levels, providing over 2,200 parking spaces. Construction should be complete by the end of 2025.
Regarding aircraft parking, a new aircraft apron was built in the 'Lot III' area in 2023, covering 42,000 square metres of movement area. It features four parking stands designated for code 'E' aircraft and nine stands for code 'C' aircraft.
The refurbishment of the cargo area is also nearing completion. The aim is to increase storage capacity, reorganise the internal spaces and optimise space utilisation. New freezer and refrigerator cells were purchased, and new doors constructed for palletising.
Finally, the following works were completed in summer 2023: the reconfiguration of the walkway on the first floor, encompassing a full renovation of the external area, pedestrian walkways, and parking zones on the first level. Additionally, improvements were made to enhance traffic flow within the airport's internal road network. These improvements included the widening of the roundabout, the construction of a rapid exit route towards the city in the cargo area, and the introduction of new dynamic digital parking signs that provide real-time information on available parking spaces in each car park.
Looking ahead, regarding road infrastructure, a collaborative project has been initiated with the Municipality of Bologna to implement a Controlled Traffic Zone (ZTC) at the airport, similar to systems in place at other Italian airports. This initiative aims to automatically monitor the duration of vehicle stays in airport zones to enhance traffic flow and deter unauthorised parking.
