A common myth: all Sicilians are mafioso, or at least do not impede the criminal activities of clans. This is far from the case. Otherwise, Palermo airport would not have been named in honor of two irreconcilable fighters against the mafia, who died tragically at her hands - judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. Now their names on the plaque at the entrance to the terminal serve as a reminder to the whole world that justice exists and is inevitable. What else is interesting about this airport, and how to get from Palermo airport to the city and resorts on the island?
The content of the article
1. History of Palermo Airport
2. Buses from Palermo Airport
3. Taxis from Palermo Airport
4. Car rental at Palermo Airport
5. Useful links about Palermo
History of Palermo Airport
It would be naive to suppose that the appearance in 1953 of a consortium for the construction of a new airport to replace the old one - Bokkadalfo - did without the participation of "godfathers".
It was decided to build a new airport in Sicily at all costs in the territory belonging to the municipality of Cinisi, 35 km north-west of Palermo, despite the fact that the technicians gave a negative conclusion about the chosen place.
The whole thing was in Gaetano Badalamenti - don Tano, who controlled the area. Covering the true goal of interest in the airport (future drug trafficking from the USA), don Tano, together with the equally legendary Luciano Ligio, founded a company for the transportation of building materials by road for its construction.
Palermo Airport annually serves more than 4.5 million passengers
Fortunately, the official story is silent about the further connection of the mafia and aviation. In 1960, construction was started, but not according to the original plan (a Sirocco would have prevented take-off and landing of aircraft).
That is why today this airport of Sicily, just in case, has not only two runways (3326 and 2068 m), but also the third, located perpendicular to the other two and going towards the sea.
After almost 30 years, in 1987, before the World Cup-90, it was decided to rebuild the airport, but the work was completed only by the summer of 1995. The new terminal is located at some distance from the old one, given over to the car rental office.
Palermo Central Station is a 45-minute drive from the airport
Today, Palermo Airport (IATA code - PMO, ICAO code - LICJ) is the base for several leading low-cost airlines (Ryanair, Wind Jet, Vueling, Air One) and serves domestic and international routes: from London to Tel Aviv and from New York to Tunisia.
Buses from Palermo Airport
For the night airport in palermo it closes, and if the prospect of spending the night in the nearest hotel does not warm, it makes sense to immediately find out when and where buses leave from Palermo airport. These buses do not have numbers, and their routes depend on the company to which they belong. However, it is not difficult to understand: there are markings and signs under the windshield.
Prestia and Comandè operate flights to Piazza Giulio Cesare Central Station via Via Emerico Amari, where the port of Palermo is located.
The first buses from Palermo airport leave at 5 am, the last at midnight (according to reviews, drivers wait until the passengers of the latest flight arrive). Travel time to the final stop is 50 minutes, ticket price is € 6.30 (2018). Interval of movement: from 1.5 hours (in the early morning) to 30 minutes.
Buses at Palermo Airport do not have numbers
Segesta buses go to Trapani. Every day, 4 flights depart in the direction of this resort city: 9.30, 12.30, 15.30, 19.30. Travel time to the terminal station is 1 hour 10 minutes. The fare is € 10 (2018).
Buses from Palermo Airport to Agrigento and Porto Empedocle are operated by Society Autolinee Licata (SAL for short). To get to these settlements, you will need to catch one of the flights: at 10.15, 13.15, 16.30, 19.45. Travel time: 2 hours 30 minutes (Agrigento), 2 hours 40 minutes (Porto Empedocle). Single tariff - € 12.60 (2018).
The drivers of Gallo Palermo know best how to get from Palermo airport to Memphis, Sciacca and Ribera (one route). True, there is only one flight - at 14.55. To Memphis, buses from Palermo airport go 1 hour 20 minutes, to Sciacca - 1 hour 50 minutes, to Ribera - 2 hours 20 minutes.
Punta Raisa Station is located directly at the terminal of Palermo Airport
By the way, there is a simpler solution to the issue, How to get from Palermo airport: Take one of the Trinacria Express high-speed trains. Punta Raisa Station is located directly at the airport terminal at -1. Travel time to the central station is 45 minutes. Trains run every hour from 5am to 9pm. The fare is € 6.30 (2018).
Taxi from Palermo Airport
If none of the bus routes suits you because of lack of time, too much luggage, or simply because the resort or hotel you want is located outside busy roads, you should choose taxi from Palermo airport. The minimum order for the city is € 3.81. The cost of 1 kilometer outside the city limits is € 1.49.
On holidays and at night, the fare increases one and a half times. In addition, waiting time (if the order was made in advance) and baggage are separately paid.
And that's not all: when deciding how to get from Palermo airport to at least the city, you should immediately consider that you will have to pay another € 9.53. More precisely, this amount is the starting one, and only then all other services are added to it. And if the tourist does not speak Italian or even English to communicate with the driver, the likelihood of a decent overpayment is seriously increased - whatever one may say, and Sicily is Sicily.
1 km of the way out of town in a Palermo taxi costs € 1.49
In order not to overpay and not be nervous because of baggage or delayed flight, it is better to order a taxi from Palermo airport online. In this case, the driver will not only meet you at the exit from the arrivals area with a sign with your name on it, but you will also know the actual fare in advance - it is calculated online before the order is placed.
All the nuances regarding a meeting with the driver and trip details are sent to the passenger’s email immediately after booking. You can get acquainted with the service in more detail, make a free calculation of the cost of a taxi from Palermo airport to the place you need, or immediately book an online transfer here.
Car hire at Palermo Airport
You can rent a car for a trip to the hotel and not only immediately at the airport, in the old terminal. Here, however, there are some nuances.
Firstly, the old terminal is a huge complex and running around it in search of a car is not a pleasant occupation; secondly - in the season in Sicily the demand for cars increases sharply, which, as a result, instantly affects the affordable range and prices.
Finally, when booking a car on the spot, many companies do not take into account the discounts that are often provided when ordering a car online.
Rent a car at Palermo Airport in advance online
In order to avoid overpayments and quickly find the best offer for car rental at Palermo airport, you can use the popular European service Rentalcars (by the way, which is most directly related to the popular hotel portal Booking.com). The system works as a price comparison service with the possibility of instant booking.
Having entered the place of receipt of the car and the required dates in the search, the system will evaluate all the available offers of the largest car rentals in the selected area and arrange them in a convenient form, taking into account the cost and other conditions.
In 90% of cases, this approach helps to save significantly on rent, and if it comes to long terms and expensive cars, the actual savings can reach several hundred Euros compared to ordering a car on the spot.
In addition to pricing information through Rentalcars, you can find out other details of car rental: insurance, climate control / air conditioning, availability of child seats. You can immediately book a car. If the trip does not work out, the reservation can be removed at any time before the arrival date at airport in palermo no problem.
Useful links about Palermo:
- The best selection of hotels in Palermo
- The main airports of Sicily
- What to see in Palermo
