Florence Airport Runway: A Project Decades in the Making

The long-debated new runway for Florence Airport has cleared another crucial hurdle with the recent approval of the VIA-VAS process. This double assessment—Valutazione di Impatto Ambientale (Environmental Impact Assessment) and Valutazione Ambientale Strategica (Strategic Environmental Assessment)—is required for major infrastructure projects in Italy. It evaluates both the environmental effects of a single project and the broader sustainability of regional planning. With this green light, the start of construction seems closer than ever, yet uncertainty remains.

A Debate That Began in the 1980s

The idea of a new runway for Florence dates back to the 1980s, when it was first proposed by Valentino Giannotti, then president of Confcommercio. From the start, the project was caught in political crosswinds. Despite recurring technical studies and repeated calls from business associations, governments at both the local and regional levels never managed to turn plans into action.

One of the main reasons was the rivalry between Florence and Pisa. Until the creation of the unified Toscana Aeroporti company, the Pisa airport was a direct competitor. The regional center-left administrations, which have governed Tuscany continuously since the postwar era, often favored Pisa over Florence. In the early years this was largely due to the stronger political weight of the Pisa federation of the Italian Communist Party compared to its Florentine counterpart.

Endless Plans, No Execution

Over the decades, several masterplans were drawn up and shelved. Environmental concerns, urban development issues, and above all political disagreements prevented progress. Meanwhile, the existing runway in Florence—short, aligned with the Apennine winds, and often unusable in poor weather—remained one of the most criticized pieces of infrastructure in Tuscany.

The Present Turning Point

The approval of the VIA-VAS process now marks a potential turning point. In Rome, the national government seems ready to move the project forward. If the administrative procedures are completed at the central level, the remaining legal obstacles would come mainly from appeals at the TAR (regional administrative court), such as the one announced by the municipality of Sesto Fiorentino.

Yet the political landscape in Tuscany still complicates matters. The current center-left coalition, now including the Five Star Movement and the far left—both opposed to the project—may find it difficult to authorize further steps at the regional or local level. Regional president Eugenio Giani has long supported the runway, but opposition within his own camp is likely to grow, especially with the issue becoming part of the electoral campaign.

A Question That Remains Unanswered

After forty years of debate, Florence may finally be closer to having a modern runway that meets the city’s international ambitions. But history suggests caution. Whether the work will truly begin this time—or whether the project will once again be blocked by politics—remains an open question.

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