Booking Italy this fall? Naples Airport to close in November for runway work

Travel advisors booking clients to southern Italy during the shoulder season will want to keep a significant airport closure on their radar.

Naples International Airport (NAP) is scheduled to close in November 2026 as major renovation work takes place on its runway.

In a May 2025 notice on its website, the airport says the closure is necessary for “radical and scheduled runway renovation work,” carried out in accordance with industry regulations and its commitment to maintaining high safety standards.

The disruption is particularly relevant for travellers planning late-fall trips to Campania, as Naples serves as one of the main gateways to southern Italy and some of the country's most popular tourism destinations.

Beyond Naples itself, travellers flying into NAP often continue to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, including Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

The airport is also a convenient entry point for visits to Pompeii and Herculaneum, while the nearby Port of Naples provides ferry connections to Capri and Ischia.

Salerno, Praiano, Maiori and Minori are among the other destinations within reach, making Naples a natural starting point for exploring the wider Campania region.

Airlines adjust schedules

Airlines are already making alternative arrangements for the closure, with some operations shifting to Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport (QSR), while other passengers are being redirected through larger gateways such as Rome Fiumicino (FCO).

The Lufthansa Group, for one, has confirmed it will suspend all flights to and from Naples between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, 2026.

Passengers booked on Lufthansa Group flights linking Naples with Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Zurich are being automatically rebooked, wherever possible, onto alternative flights to or from Rome Fiumicino.

Passengers booked on Eurowings services between Stuttgart or Düsseldorf and Naples will also receive alternative arrangements.

The Lufthansa Group says affected customers who do not accept an alternative flight may contact agency support to determine whether other rebooking options are available.

In some cases, passengers may also be eligible to seek reimbursement for alternative ground transportation, such as rail or bus travel.

Fall is the new summer?

The notice comes as more travellers – particularly those in the luxury market – are increasingly choosing to skip peak summer months in favour of the quieter shoulder season.

This trend was a recurring theme at this year’s Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas.

What the luxury consortium once dubbed “coolcations” – the pursuit of destinations with milder temperatures – has evolved into a broader reshaping of the traditional calendar as travellers look beyond July and August to avoid overtourism and heatwaves, particularly in Europe.

September is proving especially strong at Virtuoso, which says bookings, for that month, are up 55 per cent while sales surge 77 per cent.

READ MORE: On Location: Fallcations, “city-maxxing” & analog escapes - Virtuoso maps luxury travel’s next wave

November has also emerged as a standout month within the Virtuoso network, with both bookings and sales up 70 per cent.

“One of the clearest signals we’re seeing [is] that shoulder season is now peak season,” said Misty Belles, vice president of global public relations at Virtuoso, at the conference.

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