capodichinoIt is official, and it comes from the airport operator itself: Naples Capodichino is closed for the whole of November 2026. This is not a reduced schedule or a night-time closure. From 1 to 30 November the runway is being rebuilt and the airport cannot take aircraft at all.
If you have a flight booked to or from Naples in that window, this page walks through it in order: what was decided, what happens to your ticket, what you are entitled to, and how you actually get to Salerno, which for thirty days becomes the airport for this part of Italy.
Why Naples airport is closing
The runway at Capodichino needs a full rebuild: not patching, but replacing the surfaces and reconstructing the taxiways that link the runway to the aprons. The operator has called the work "radical", and it is part of bringing the airport up to the operational safety standards the aviation rules require.
Work on that scale cannot be done in pieces overnight. It needs the runway free, for days on end, with heavy machinery on the flying surface. The only way to do it is to close.
The project costs around 20 million euro. The actual work on the runway takes about 24 days; the remaining days are a safety margin written into the schedule for bad weather, which in Campania in November is a real risk.
Why November. It is the quietest month of the year for passengers. The summer is over and Christmas has not started: closing in August would have been unthinkable, closing in November means disrupting the smallest possible number of people. The closure was originally planned for February or March of the following year and was brought forward to November 2026.
The exact dates and when it reopens
- Closure starts: 1 November 2026
- Closure ends: 30 November 2026
- Expected reopening: 1 December 2026
- Runway works: about 24 days, plus a margin for bad weather
The official notice was published by the airport on 21 September 2026. Airlines were told well in advance and have already rescheduled their routes, which is why many passengers were notified of a change of airport a long time before the closure itself.
One thing worth being straight about: the reopening date is the planned one. If bad weather slows the work down, the margin already built into the schedule exists precisely to absorb the delay without moving the reopening. But if you are booking a flight for 1 or 2 December, keep an eye on your airline's messages right up to departure.
Where the flights go
The traffic is split between two airports.
Salerno Costa d'Amalfi takes around a third of the flights. It is run by the same company that runs Capodichino, which is why it was the natural choice for the diverted traffic. Ahead of November, Salerno is expanding its facilities and services to cope.
Rome takes most of the rest, split between Fiumicino and Ciampino depending on the airline and the route.
Some routes, mostly the quieter ones, are simply suspended for the month and resume in December.
None of this is decided by the airport. It is decided by your airline. Two people flying to Naples on the same day with different airlines can easily end up one in Salerno and one in Rome. That is why, for your own ticket, the only source that counts is the airline you booked with.
I have a flight in November: what do I do
There are three possibilities.
1. Your flight has been moved to Salerno or Rome
You get an email from the airline with the new airport. The booking reference stays valid; the time may change. You do not have to do anything to the ticket itself, but you do have to redo the arithmetic on everything else: transfers, hotel, car hire, parking. If you had booked a car at Capodichino, that booking does not move by itself.
If the new airport does not work for you, you are entitled to refuse it. Changing the arrival airport is a substantial change to the journey you paid for, and you can ask for a full refund instead of accepting it.
2. Your flight has been cancelled
You are entitled, and the choice is yours, to one of these:
- a full refund of the ticket within seven days;
- an alternative flight to the same destination, either at the earliest opportunity or on a date that suits you.
The choice belongs to you, not to the airline. If you are offered only a voucher, you can refuse it and ask for the money.
On cash compensation it is worth being precise, because this is where most of the confusion sits. EU Regulation 261/2004 does provide a fixed cash payment for cancelled flights, but not when the cancellation is communicated at least 14 days before departure. This closure was announced months ahead, so for flights cancelled because of it and notified in good time, that compensation is not due. Refund or rerouting, yes. Cash compensation, no.
A cancellation announced at the last minute is a different matter, as is a flight that does operate in November from another airport and is then cancelled for some other reason. In those cases the ordinary rules apply in full.
3. You have heard nothing at all
This is the most awkward position, and the most common one if you booked through an online travel agent. Airlines send notifications to the email address held in the booking, which in that case is often the agency's address and not yours.
Do not assume your flight is fine. Log into "manage my booking" on the airline's own website with your reference and check the departure and arrival airport shown there. If it does not add up, write to them and get written confirmation before you book a hotel, a transfer or parking.
How to get to Salerno airport from Naples
If your flight moves to Salerno Costa d'Amalfi, the question becomes a practical one: the airport is in the Pontecagnano area, around fifty kilometres from Naples.
Train plus shuttle: the reliable option
This is the one to take, because it does not depend on traffic.
- Napoli Centrale to Salerno by train. Regional trains take about 40 minutes and cost around 6 euro, with roughly fifteen departures a day. The high-speed Frecce do it in a little over half an hour but cost a great deal more; over this distance it is not worth it.
- Salerno station to the airport on the Salerno Airlink shuttle. It leaves from piazza Vittorio Veneto, directly opposite the station, and reaches the terminal in about 30 minutes. The ticket costs 8 euro and includes one bag up to 55x40x20 cm; each extra bag is 5 euro. You can buy it at the Busitalia ticket office, at authorised resellers, on the UnicoCampania app, through Trenitalia's channels, or from the driver on board by card, with no surcharge.
Allow about an hour and a half in total, counting the wait between the two. On top of that you need the time to reach Napoli Centrale in the first place, plus the usual check-in margin at the airport. If your flight leaves at 7 in the morning, do that arithmetic properly.
Watch the edges of the day. The Airlink shuttle runs roughly between 5:20 and 22:00, with departures timed around the flight schedule. For a very early or very late flight the shuttle may simply not be running, and you need another plan.
By car
From Naples you take the A3 towards Salerno and come off at Pontecagnano. Without traffic it is about 50 minutes. At peak times on the A3 it can be a great deal more: it is one of the most congested stretches of road in the region.
Salerno airport has a car park, but it is a small airport that in November will be handling far more traffic than it normally does. If you plan to drive and leave the car there, booking a space in advance is not a nicety. It is necessary.
By direct bus
Several coach operators run between Naples and Salerno, with a number of departures a day. They are a cheap alternative, but the timetables are built around commuters rather than around flights. Before you choose one, check that arriving in Salerno still leaves you enough margin for the shuttle and for check-in.
Ahead of November it is reasonable to expect dedicated, strengthened links between Naples and Salerno. They have not been officially announced yet. When they are, this page will be updated.
What happens to the services at Capodichino
With the airport closed, everything built around it changes too.
Car parks. If you have booked and paid for a space near the airport for a date in November, contact them directly: the booking does not cancel itself and refund terms vary from operator to operator. Parking, along with everything else at the airport, is covered in the main Naples airport guide, which is useful again from December.
Car hire. A booking with pick-up at Capodichino in November has to be moved or cancelled. Most of the car rental companies at Naples airport have desks elsewhere too, but the change is not automatic: you have to ask for it.
Alibus, taxis and shuttles. The services that feed the terminal follow the closure of the airport. For getting around the city everything else still runs, and it is covered in the guide on getting from Naples airport to the city centre, which applies again from 1 December.
Hotels near the airport. The hotels in the area stay open and trade normally: the Capodichino district does not live on transit passengers alone. If you are looking for somewhere to stay there, the guide to hotels near Naples airport still holds in November.
Terminal services. Left luggage, lost property, the shops and the airline desks follow the airport's own hours. Everything described in the Naples airport terminal guide is simply not reachable during November.
If you only need to get to Naples
If what you actually want is the city rather than the airport, November gives you alternatives you would not otherwise consider.
The train. Naples is on Italy's high-speed network with very frequent service: a little over an hour from Rome, around four and a half hours from Milan. If you are coming from elsewhere in Europe on a flight to Rome, carrying on by train to Napoli Centrale is usually faster and cheaper than taking a second flight.
Fly to Rome. Fiumicino is linked to Roma Termini by the Leonardo Express in a little over half an hour, and trains to Naples leave Termini constantly. Door to door, landing at Fiumicino and arriving at Napoli Centrale takes about three hours.
Fly to Bari or Lamezia. These only make sense if your final destination is genuinely closer to them than to Naples. For the city of Naples itself they are a worse choice than either Salerno or Rome.
Useful contacts
- Naples airport (GESAC): official notices about the closure are published in the news section of aeroportodinapoli.it
- Salerno Costa d'Amalfi airport: aeroportosalerno.it
- Salerno Airlink (Busitalia Campania): timetables and information through the Busitalia and Trenitalia channels
- Your airline: the only party that can confirm, move or refund your flight
For passenger rights in Italy the competent authority is ENAC, which takes complaints if an airline fails to meet its obligations on refunds or rerouting.
Frequently asked questions
When is Naples airport closed?
Naples Capodichino airport is closed from 1 to 30 November 2026, for the whole month. The closure is for a complete rebuild of the runway and the taxiways.
When does Naples airport reopen?
It is due to reopen on 1 December 2026. The runway work itself takes about 24 days; the remaining days are a margin built into the schedule for bad weather, so that the reopening date does not have to move.
Where are Naples flights moved to in November?
About a third of flights move to Salerno Costa d'Amalfi airport and most of the rest to Rome, split between Fiumicino and Ciampino. Some routes are suspended for the month. Which one applies to your flight is decided by your airline, not by the airport.
Will my November flight be refunded?
If the airline cancels the flight, you can choose between a full refund of the ticket within seven days and an alternative flight to the same destination. The choice is yours. If the flight is only moved to a different airport and that does not work for you, you can refuse the rerouting and ask for the refund instead.
Am I entitled to 250 or 400 euro in compensation?
No, not if you were told at least 14 days before departure. EU Regulation 261/2004 rules out the cash compensation in that case, and this closure was announced months in advance. The right to a refund or to rerouting is unaffected.
How do I get to Salerno airport from Naples?
The most reliable route is the regional train from Napoli Centrale to Salerno, about 40 minutes and 6 euro, then the Salerno Airlink shuttle from piazza Vittorio Veneto opposite the station, about 30 minutes and 8 euro. Allow around an hour and a half in total including the wait. By car it is about 50 minutes on the A3 to the Pontecagnano exit without traffic.
Can I use the Capodichino car parks in November?
There is no point: those car parks serve people flying from there. If you already have a prepaid booking for a November date, contact the operator directly to move it or get a refund, because the terms vary from one to another.
Could the closure be postponed or cancelled?
The dates have been confirmed by the airport operator and airlines have already rescheduled their routes, so cancellation is very unlikely. The schedule already includes a margin for bad weather. If you are booking a flight for the first days of December, still keep an eye on your airline's messages.
Page updated on 1 ottobre 2026. Fares and timetables change: always double-check on the official channels before you travel.