Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport is one of the best Italian airports for number of international destinations, with a runway authorised to handle flights travelling as far as 5 thousand sea miles and the very latest environmental protection/security technology. Classified as a "strategic airport" in the centre-north area of the National Airports Plan prepared by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, recorded in 2021 - a year affected by the global pandemic - 4.1 million passengers, ranking as the eighth biggest Italian airport by number of passengers (Source: Assaeroporti – Aeroporti2030). Located in the heart of the Emilian food valley and the automotive and packaging industrial districts, the airport has a catchment area of about 11 million inhabitants and around 47,000 companies, with a strong propensity to exports and internationalisation and with commercial expansion policies to Eastern Europe and Asia. As for airport infrastructure, the airport has among its strategic objectives in the next few years an important development plan that mainly concerns the expansion of the terminal, particularly in the parts of security checks and gate area. The company's aim is to make Bologna Airport one of the most modern and functional in Italy, an important gateway to the city and region.