TRIESTE – Another chapter in the ongoing saga of appointments at the Port System Authority overseeing the ports of Trieste and Monfalcone: after the September 30 deadline and a one-day vacancy, Donato Liguori has been reappointed as Extraordinary Commissioner.
A senior official at the Ministry of Transport’s Directorate General for Ports and Logistics, Liguori had been appointed on July 30 for a two-month term, which expired on September 30. He will again be assisted by Pierpaolo Danieli, reappointed as Deputy Commissioner. After bidding farewell to the Authority’s management, Liguori was asked to stay on in Trieste and resume his duties.
The decision delays the widely discussed prospect of appointing Marco Consalvo, current CEO of Trieste Airport, as the next president of the Authority. The issue, heavily influenced by political dynamics, has divided various factions. It appears that Consalvo—initially reluctant to accept the proposal—was ultimately unable to take on the interim commissioner role (ahead of a potential presidency) due to his ongoing commitments at the airport.
For now, beyond Liguori’s renewed appointment, the formal step of the Minister of Transport Matteo Salvini’s proposal to Friuli Venezia Giulia President Massimiliano Fedriga—and Fedriga’s acceptance of Consalvo’s candidacy—has yet to take place. Nothing official, therefore, but several political statements have been made regarding the manager’s potential appointment.
Born in Naples on May 26, 1967, Consalvo is an environmental and territorial engineer (Sapienza University of Rome). He has held several key roles in the airport sector: General Manager at Naples Airport (2006–2012) and, from November 2015 to July 2019, at Friuli Venezia Giulia Airport, where he later became CEO.
Consalvo also serves on the board of Aeroporto FVG S.p.A. (since May 2017), representing F2i (Fondi Italiani per le Infrastrutture), an infrastructure investment management company that also controls one of the terminal operators at the Port of Monfalcone (FHP Group). In 2019, through its subsidiary 2i Aeroporti, F2i acquired 55% of Trieste Airport, gaining the right to appoint the CEO, while the president (currently Antonio Marano) is appointed by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region.
Politically, the appointments were originally associated with the center-left but later confirmed by the center-right, reflecting bipartisan appreciation for the management of the airport to date.
