Innovation and sustainability: Italian airports are growing in Europe. This is confirmed by the ACI Europe Best Airport Awards 2026, one of the most prestigious awards in the airport sector.
Leading the way was the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome Fiumicino, awarded as the best European airport in the category for airports with over 40 million passengers annually. According to the ACI Europe jury, the Roman airport continues to stand out for its ability to combine operational efficiency, innovation, and environmental sustainability. Among the elements that contributed to the recognition is the establishment of the largest airport photovoltaic system in Europe for self-consumption, capable of producing about 30 GWh of energy per year and significantly reducing CO₂ emissions.
Excellent results were also achieved by Milano Linate, which received a special mention (Highly Commended) in the category dedicated to airports with traffic between 10 and 25 million passengers. The jury praised the transformation journey of the Milanese airport, highlighting investments in service digitalization, traveler comfort, and sustainability-oriented strategies. The award went to Hamburg Airport, but Linate confirmed itself among the most appreciated European airports in its size category.
The results confirm a now established trend: Italian airports are decisively investing in innovation, digitalization, and the quality of hospitality.
In recent years, Leonardo da Vinci has become an international benchmark, collecting numerous awards for the experience offered to passengers and for the environmental policies adopted. Airports managed by SEA, such as Milano Linate, are also pursuing a modernization path aimed at making travel increasingly simple, safe, and sustainable.
The ACI Europe Best Airport Awards 2026 thus confirm Italy's role among the most dynamic countries in the European airport landscape, with infrastructures capable of competing at the highest levels not only for passenger traffic but especially for quality, innovation, and sustainability.
Organized annually by ACI Europe (Airports Council International Europe), the Awards represent one of the main benchmarks for evaluating the performance of European airports. Not only passenger traffic numbers are rewarded, but especially the quality of services, management capacity, technological innovation, traveler experience, and commitment to ecological transition.
The categories are divided based on annual traffic volume, allowing comparison between airports with similar characteristics. The award for best airport in the category of 10 to 25 million passengers was given to the airport “Marco Polo” in Venice, managed by the SAVE group. The airport was particularly appreciated for its ability to use the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a strategic lever to introduce lasting improvements in operational performance, service quality, and ESG impact.
In the motivation, the judges emphasized how the airport not only ensured an excellent experience during the Games but also managed to turn that occasion into an opportunity to integrate new practices into daily and future management, building a long-term legacy based on high performance and inclusive design.
Special mentions were also given to the airport of Milan Bergamo, managed by SACBO, awarded in the HR Excellence Award category for excellence in human resource management and future workforce development, and to the airport of Turin Caselle, managed by SAGAT, recognized in the category reserved for airports between 5 and 10 million passengers.
