Artist’s rendering of the proposed new terminal at Rimini Airport, Italy.
Rimini Airport has unveiled plans for an initial €80 million ($94 million) investment as part of a wider €200 million redevelopment program aimed at transforming the Italian gateway into a more integrated hub for the Emilia-Romagna region.
The plan, presented ahead of Routes Europe 2026 in Rimini next month, includes terminal redevelopment, expanded parking, new commercial areas, improved surface access and a broader “airport district” designed to connect the airport more closely with the city and surrounding region.
Speaking at a press conference in Rimini, Leonardo Corbucci, CEO of airport operator AIRiminum, says the airport is seeking to recapture traffic already generated by the region but currently using other airports.
“In the last 12 months, we have recorded approximately 5.5 million passengers traveling within a 60-km catchment area,” Corbucci says. “Of these, only 7% fly from Rimini, about 38% fly from Bologna and more than 50%, so about 3 million, arrive or depart from airports outside the region.” Corbucci explains the issue is not lack of demand, but the airport’s ability to intercept it.
The airport’s 2026-40 masterplan targets a phased traffic development strategy, initially focused on LCCs, leisure, tour operators and VFR traffic. By 2028, the airport aims to have an LLC base and a daily connection to a domestic hub.
In the longer term, Rimini is seeking to add international hub links and higher-value markets served by network carriers. Corbucci says the airport’s growth should complement, rather than compete with, Bologna Airport, which remains the region’s main hub.
“Rimini’s growth does not subtract traffic from Bologna, it complements it,” he says. “It is not about competing with the main hub, it is about complementing the airport system.”
Rimini handled about 417,000 passengers in 2025 and expects to exceed 600,000 in 2026. Under its short-term strategy, AIRiminum is targeting around 1.26 million passengers by 2028, compared with more than 11 million at nearby Bologna Airport.
The redevelopment includes a major redesign of the terminal area by architect Massimo Roj, CEO and founding partner of Progetto CMR. The project includes a refurbished terminal, food court, offices, new arrivals and departures areas, a bridge linking the terminal to a new service building and a multi-story car park with 1,500 spaces.
The wider airport district will include an “Air Park” on the roof of the new structure, with green space, a botanical garden, sports areas and an arena for events. New short-term and rental car parking will also be added, alongside a new Metromare stop connecting the airport with Rimini and Riccione.
Roj says the aim is to make the airport more than a transport facility. “The project is born with this vision: to connect the airport with the city, to make it a strong element of the city itself,” Roj adds. “The terminal also becomes a place to be experienced beyond departure and arrival.”
The investment will be delivered in stages, with the first phase estimated at about €80 million and funded through a mix of self-financing, debt and equity, and institutional investors. AIRiminum is currently in discussions to secure financing.
The plan remains subject to approval by ENAC, Italy’s civil aviation authority. If it is approved, a public tender for construction is expected by 2028, with work beginning in early 2029 and completion targeted around 2033.
ENAC President Pierluigi Di Palma says the project aligns with Italy’s broader airport strategy, particularly the need for a more polycentric airport system. “Air transport brings wealth and today it is also recognized as the element that determines the development of the territory,” Di Palma says. “The airport economy is no longer an airport economy, but a territorial economy.”
Di Palma says that ENAC has supported Rimini through measures including the extension of 24-hr. airport operations, which he described as important for smaller airports seeking to grow.
The announcement comes amid growing links from Rimini in summer 2026. Ryanair has added new routes to Wroclaw, Manchester, Cologne/Bonn and Catania, while Wizz will fly to Chisinau, Katowice, Sofia, Warsaw Modlin and Budapest, complementing its existing Tirana route.
Routes Europe 2026 will also take place in Rimini from May 18-20, bringing together airlines, airports and destinations.
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