The winners of the annual ACI Europe Best Airport Awards were announced during the ACI Europe 32nd Annual Congress and General Assembly Gala Dinner, held in Rome and hosted by Rome Airport.
In recognition of the efforts of airports in key areas, awards were also given for environmental innovation, for excellence in human resource management and for digital transformation.
This year the jury included representatives from the European Commission, Eurocontrol, a joint project European Air Traffic Management SESAR, International Transport Forum and European Civil Aviation Conference ECAC.
In the category up to 5 million passengers
Under 5 Million Passenger Category Award was awarded to La Palma Airport for its stable operation not only during the COVID-19 crisis, but also during the Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption, and to Turin Airport for its recovery from the pandemic and work on innovation and sustainability.
In the category of 5–10 million passengers
Award «5–10 million passengers» went to Valencia airport. The jury highlighted the operations undertaken to combat the pandemic, including cargo and medical flights. Valencia Airport is also a pioneer of SAF's sustainable fuel, serving as a test airport for Aena's collaboration with BP.
Eindhoven's Airportis also highly rated in this category.
< strong>10–25M Passenger Category
This year's 10–25M Passenger Category award was awarded to Porto. The airport has been praised for its impressive post-pandemic recovery and climate action. The airport has implemented initiatives such as rainwater harvesting, water footprint reduction and organic waste collection.
Category 25–40 million passengers
Category 25– Vienna International Airport became 40 million passengers. The Austrian air harbor has taken the opportunity, initially provided by the pandemic, to modernize and innovate. Terminal 2 has been refurbished and reopened, and the lounge has been refurbished, bringing smart lounges to passengers; and sleeping quarters. The airport's sustainability commitment has also been praised, with Vienna Airport aiming to become carbon neutral by 2023 and zero by 2035.
Athens Airport has also been praised in this categories.
Over 40 Million Passenger Category
This year's Over 40 Million Passenger Category Award went to Rome Fiumicino Airportin recognition of its leading position among the transport hubs of the continent. Rome Hub is a leader in sustainability, being the first European airport to achieve Level 4+ of the Carbon Airport Accreditation Program. Innovation standards are set at a very high level with an ambitious new innovation plan to drive digital transformation, as well as the opening of a new Aviation Innovation Centre, collaboration with key stakeholders and a focus on local business development.
Chief Istanbul The airport was also highly rated in this category.
This year's Digital Transformation winner became London City Airport. The UK hub has been recognized as a pioneer in deploying a digital ATC tower, a SESAR solution, at such a large airport. The project was completed in just four years.
This year, Istanbul International Airport was awarded the Human Resources Excellence Award for its overall strategy and many of the initiatives implemented during the second year the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery. The cornerstone of the strategy was regular meetings with employees and listening carefully to their feedback and needs.