Venice awarded with the Best Airport Award

Venice Marco Polo Airport has been awarded by ACI EUROPE as the best European airport in the category between 10 and 25 million passengers. The award was presented on June 23 in Prague, during the 36th ACI EUROPE Annual Congress and General Assembly, and presented to Monica Scarpa, CEO of the SAVE Group.

The award confirms Marco Polo's role as one of the reference airports in Europe for quality of service, operational efficiency, flow management and sustainability. For passengers, the recognition means that they can count on an airport that has been awarded not only for its performance, but also for its ability to improve the travel experience in complex and operationally intensive situations.

ACI EUROPE has particularly highlighted the work carried out by the airport on the occasion of the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. According to the jury, Venice has been able to transform the event into an opportunity to introduce improvements destined to remain even in the daily management of the airport, with benefits on service, inclusion, organization and environmental impact.

During the Games, Marco Polo handled around 1,500 athletes and paraathletes, more than 15% more than initial estimates, along with 7,000 guests connected to the event and 11,300 bags in total. The Olympic experience has left the airport with a wealth of procedures, skills and good practices that are also useful for ordinary passengers. The ability to coordinate large volumes of traffic, special baggage, delegations and international arrivals strengthens the airport's organization and its preparation in the management of cultural, sporting, economic and scientific events of international importance.

Marco Polo is the third Italian intercontinental airport and represents one of the main gateways to Venice, Veneto and the North East. Its location, within a delicate context such as the Venetian lagoon, also makes the theme of sustainability central. For this reason, the airport applies targeted environmental practices and invests in infrastructure designed to accompany the growth of traffic with greater attention to natural resources.

Among the most significant interventions is the modern airport purification plant, designed to support the traffic increases expected over the next decade. The plant can treat an average daily flow rate of 1,155 cubic meters, with peaks of up to 1,440 cubic meters per day in the summer, and guarantees about 420,000 cubic meters of purified water every year. In 2025, the reuse of treated water and water-saving measures made it possible to reduce drinking water consumption by around 55,000 cubic metres.

The award also looks to the future of Venice airport, committed to the development of the long-haul flight network and the consolidation of Venice's role as an international destination. For travellers, the ACI EUROPE award confirms the reliability of the Venetian port and its ability to combine connections, quality of services, attention to the environment and efficient management of flows.