# Catania Fontanarossa: the 4 euro Alibus

> Catania Fontanarossa handled 12,369,485 passengers in 2025. The Alibus ticket costs 4 euro for 90 minutes, and ordinary AMT tickets are not valid on it.

URL: https://myitalia.it/plan/airports/cta
Last updated: 2026-09-11

From Catania Fontanarossa the city link is AMT's Alibus: 4 euro, valid for 90 minutes and good on other AMT city lines, bought on board in cash or by card (2026).

## One ticket that works, three that don't

The Alibus ticket costs 4 euro, lasts 90 minutes and carries on to other AMT urban lines inside that window. You can buy it on board in cash or by card, in the AMT Catania app, at authorized resellers or at partner hotels.

The trap runs the other way. Ordinary AMT tickets, FCE metro tickets and standard passes are not valid on the Alibus, so a carnet bought in town for later does nothing on the airport bus.

## What AMT leaves out

AMT's Alibus page does not publish the frequency, the journey time or the first and last departures: it points to the current timetable instead. None of those figures appear here for that reason.

If you land late, check the posted timetable before you assume a bus. Taxi fares from the airport are not in our verified set either.

## Sicily's busiest airport

Catania Fontanarossa Vincenzo Bellini (IATA CTA, ICAO LICC) handled 12,369,485 passengers in 2025, fifth in Italy and first among the Sicilian airports. SAC runs it.

Growth was almost flat, 0.2% on 2024. Palermo Punta Raisi, the island's other large airport, handled 9,220,905 passengers and grew 3.4%, so the gap narrowed without closing. For the west of the island, read the [Palermo airport page](/plan/airports/pmo).

## Taormina and Siracusa by coach

Interbus declares a direct coach from the airport to Taormina every 30 minutes (2026), and it is the most used car-free link between the two. Its home page makes the same claim for a direct Siracusa to Catania airport service.

That is all the operator publishes. Its site map contains no timetable page, the Taormina and airport pages are descriptive only, and fares and journey times sit inside a journey planner. The prices that circulate online come from ticket aggregators, not from Interbus, which is why none is printed here.

## Planning the first evening

The 90-minute validity is what lets one 4 euro ticket cover the airport bus and a change onto a second AMT line. Keep it until you are off the second bus.

Onward options from the city, the Etna cable car and the Taormina coach are on [getting to Catania](/towns/catania/getting-there). A week that starts here is laid out in the [eastern Sicily itinerary](/itineraries/7-days-eastern-sicily), and the ferry routes across the Strait are on [ferries to Sicily](/plan/ferries-to-sicily).

## FAQ

### How do I get from Catania airport to the city center?

Take AMT's Alibus. The ticket costs 4 euro, is valid for 90 minutes and also works on other AMT urban lines within that time. Buy it on board in cash or by card, in the AMT Catania app, from resellers or at partner hotels (2026). Ordinary AMT tickets are not accepted.

### Can I use a normal Catania bus ticket on the Alibus?

No. Ordinary AMT tickets, FCE metro tickets and standard passes are all excluded from the Alibus. It needs its own 4 euro ticket, which in turn is valid for 90 minutes on the other AMT city lines, so the airport ticket also covers your first connection.

### How do I get from Catania airport to Taormina?

By Interbus coach, direct from the airport, which the operator says leaves every 30 minutes (2026). Interbus publishes no timetable pages and no fares: the only way into its data is the journey planner on its site, or its phone line, 06 164 160, weekdays.

### Is Catania or Palermo the bigger airport?

Catania. Fontanarossa handled 12,369,485 passengers in 2025 against 9,220,905 at Palermo Punta Raisi, which ranks Catania fifth in Italy and Palermo ninth. Catania was nearly flat on 2024, up 0.2%, while Palermo grew 3.4%.

### How long does the Alibus take from Catania airport?

The journey time is not published. AMT's page for the line gives the 4 euro fare and where to buy it, but refers you to its current timetable for frequency, journey time, and first and last departures. Read that timetable for the day you land.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| L'aeroporto di Catania Fontanarossa (codice IATA CTA), primo scalo siciliano, ha registrato 12.369.485 passeggeri nel 2025 (+0,2% sul 2024). | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Dall'aeroporto di Catania Fontanarossa il collegamento urbano con la citta' e' la linea Alibus di AMT: il biglietto costa 4 euro, vale 90 minuti ed e' utilizzabile anche sulle altre linee urbane AMT; si acquista a bordo in contanti o con carta, sull'app AMT Catania, in rivendita o negli hotel convenzionati (2026). I biglietti AMT ordinari, quelli della metropolitana FCE e gli abbonamenti non sono validi su Alibus. | [AMTS Catania](https://www.amts.ct.it/alibus/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| L'aeroporto di Palermo Punta Raisi 'Falcone e Borsellino' (codice IATA PMO) ha registrato 9.220.905 passeggeri nel 2025 (+3,4% sul 2024). | [Assaeroporti](https://data-upload.assaeroporti.com/download-export/2025/12); [ENAC](https://www.enac.gov.it/app/uploads/2024/04/Dati-_di_traffico_2021_220914.pdf) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Interbus effettua corse dirette fra l'aeroporto di Catania Fontanarossa e Taormina con partenze ogni 30 minuti (2026): e' il collegamento senza auto piu' usato, perche' la stazione ferroviaria di Taormina-Giardini si trova a valle del centro storico. | [Interbus](https://www.interbus.it/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Interbus non pubblica orari ne' tariffe delle sue linee: la mappa del sito non contiene alcuna pagina di orario, le pagine delle citta' come Taormina e Aeroporto di Catania sono solo descrittive e l'unico accesso ai dati e' il pianificatore di viaggio; l'unica frequenza dichiarata in home e' "Taormina-aeroporto di Catania, corsa diretta, corse giornaliere ogni 30 minuti" (verifica del 2 settembre 2026). | [Interbus S.p.A.](https://www.interbus.it/); [doc 2](https://www.interbus.it/taormina/); [doc 3](https://www.interbus.it/page-sitemap1.xml) | medium | 2027-06-30 |

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/organizza/airports/cta.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/planifica/airports/cta.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/preparer/airports/cta.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/planen/airports/cta.md