ROME - All Italian airports will be able to reopen from June 3 after many were closed to stem the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, the country's transport minister said Wednesday.
The Italian government had said on Saturday that it would reopen its borders to European Union tourists on that date and cancel the compulsory quarantine for foreign visitors to the peninsula.
"It will be possible to proceed with the reopening of all airports from June 3, when inter-regional and international transfers will again be allowed," Paola De Micheli told lawmakers.
Italy, the first European country to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic, closed many airports, including Linate airport in Milan, on March 12.
Other airports could still operate but in a limited way, such as Rome's Fiumicino, Milan's Malpensa and the airports in Bologna, Palermo and Turin.
Ciampino airport in Rome and Peretola in Florence, which were closed on March 13, have been allowed to reopen since May 4.
The troubled Italian airline Alitalia, which is set to be nationalised, said on Wednesday that it would increase its flights by 36 percent in June compared with May.
Alitalia said that from June 2 it would gradually resume its services between Rome and New York and between Milan and southern Italy, as well as certain flights to Spain.
