Palermo Airport, also known as the ”Falcone-Borsellino Airport”, is located 35 km from the city centre in an area known as Punta Raisi. This is the second busiest international hub in Sicily after the “Catania -Fontanarossa Airport” and, in 2018, it handled over 6.5 million passengers ranking 9th among Italian airports in terms of passenger numbers.
HISTORY:
Palermo Airport was founded in 1953 but only in 1960 the authorities, facing an increase of both domestic and international flights, decided to divert civilian traffic from the pre-existing Airport of Boccadifalco to the more modern “Palermo Punta Raisi” hub. The first inaugural flight connected Palermo with Rome Ciampino International Airport. Just a few months after opening to commercial flights, in addition to the two parallel runways, the constructions of a third runway begun. This was necessary due to the problems caused by the strong wind of the area.
The continuous growth of airport traffic led to the construction of a new air terminal inaugurated in the '90s in conjunction with the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
CONNECTIONS FROM AND TO PALERMO AIRPORT:
The public transport is an easy way to get to the city center despite the distance between Palermo Airport and the city centre.
Train from Palermo airport to the city center:
Two trains run every hour from the airport with direct connections to Palermo Central railway station.
The journey takes about 50/70 minutes depending on how many stops train makes. The first train leaves the airport at 05:15am and the last of the day at 00:25pm.
The ticket price starts from € 5.60 with discounts for family or groups.
For more information, see the RFI website.
Bus from Palermo airport to the city center:
The cheapest way to get to Palermo city centre is definitely the bus.
Terravision is now offering (in collaboration with Prestia e Comandè) a new bus transfer that connects Palermo Airport and Palermo City Centre.
The journey takes aprox. 60 minutes and the buses depart every 30 minutes from 05:00am to 00:30am.
The ticket price is €6, A/R € 12,00.
Kids aged 3-10 pay €4, A/R €8.
Babies (0-2 years) travel free.
online Click here if you want to buy tickets online.
Advantages of this service:
• Fast travel service
• Tickets purchasable online/no shipping costs
• Free luggage
• Amendable travel dates
• Tickets valid for all buses on the day
• There's no need to print your ticket
Taxi from Palermo airport to the city center:
If you want reduce travel stress, taxi is the best option.
Taxi fares from/to Palermo Airport
• viale Michelangelo/viale Lazio: € 35
• corso Calatafimi/corso Vittorio Emanuele € 40
• Central Station/Brancaccio € 45
In addition to the taxi service there is a taxi sharing with a rate of 8 € per passenger (minimum 4 users).
SECURITY CONTROLS:
In security controls the general rules are applied:
Passengers must remove and place coat/jacket, electronic devices and other personal items into a tray before passing through the metal detector.
Liquids (Max. 100ml container) must be placed inside a clear resealable plastic bag separately from your bag.
Before leaving for the airport is important to understand the restrictions in relation to prohibited or dangerous articles/substances and the permitted cabin baggage size.
PALERMO AIRPORT SERVICES:
Palermo Airport services:
• special assistance for disabled passengers or passengers with reduced mobility;
• free Wi-Fi;
• Gesap VIP lounge for passengers travelling with selected Air Carriers and priority pass;
• fast track service, available only for passengers with priority pass or those who have purchased the VIP service;
• services: shops and duty free, restaurants, customer care, information desk, luggage deposit, lost and found facilities, bank, parking, inter-terminal shuttle bus service (free).
Additional info can be found on the airport's official website:
https://www.gesap.it/
Tickets are valid for all buses on the day.
