Gianfranco Battisti has been identified by the President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, as the new CEO of Gesap, the company managing Palermo's "Falcone-Borsellino" airport. This decision follows the resignation by Vito Riggio. The official appointment of Battisti as a member of the Board of Directors is the responsibility of the Mayor of Palermo, who at the next board meeting, scheduled for Friday, will also proceed with his formal designation as CEO. President Schifani, according to "Ansa" sources, has already had a discussion with Battisti, considered a profile of high experience and competence, together with Mayor Roberto Lagalla. This is a strategic choice by the governor aimed at ensuring solid and qualified leadership during the delicate process of privatizing the Palermo airport.

Battisti brings with him a significant managerial background accumulated over more than thirty years of career. After initial steps in marketing at Fiat in the late 1980s, he joined the Italian State Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato) in 1998 as marketing manager. His experience was consolidated by holding leading roles: from 2009 to 2017 he directed the national and international passenger division of Trenitalia, including the management of high-speed rail. Concurrently, from 2009 to 2011, he served as a board member of Artesia SpA. Subsequently, between 2017 and 2018, he led Fs Sistemi Urbani as CEO, and then in 2018 he assumed the dual role of CEO and general manager of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane SpA. From July 2019 to May 2021, he also chaired the FS Foundation, contributing to the enhancement of the Italian railway and industrial heritage.

His appointment as leader of Gesap represents a strong signal for the future of Palermo airport, called upon to grow and face the challenges of modernization and revitalization through high-profile managerial leadership.