Rome and Istanbul airports soar above rivals, according to peers

Rome-Fiumicino and Istanbul were Europe’s best big airports last year, with Avinor-Oslo, London Luton and Malta among the awardees in the smaller-scale categories, according to industry body Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.

Announcing the winners during a ceremony in Istanbul, the ACI praised the management of the host city’s airport for "aggressive investment in cutting-edge airport infrastructure" and described Fiumicino, which took the top prize for the third consecutive year, as having made notable progress in the direction of net zero emissions.

The Italian airport also took the top award for "digital transformation" for its efforts in helping 50 new businesses get off the ground.

Oslo’s main hub took the top prize in the second category for 25-40 million passengers, in large part due to its record for punctuality, which has continued into 2024. Last month, according to aviation analytics provider Cirium, Oslo ranked fourth in a global ranking of "on-time" large airports, measured by percentage of flights taking off within 15 minutes of schedule.

A new rail link to central London helped Luton Airport take top prize out of airports with 10-25 million passengers in 2023. Malta Airport was best among those catering to 5-10 million passengers, with judges citing "proven track record, efficient operations" and a "motivated team — with sustainability, excellence, and innovation at its core" as reasons for the award.

Torino Airport won in the category for under 5 million passengers after installing a photovoltaic plant, a move the judges viewed as making "tangible strides" in dealing with sustainability challenges.

London Heathrow, the biggest and busiest airport in Europe measured by flight and passenger numbers, narrowly missed out on the top award, with Brussels Airport, Brussels South Charleroi and Athen International among the other runner-ups across the categories.

ACI Europe represents more than 500 airports through whch around 90% of the continent's air traffic passes.

The awards were handed out as concerns simmered about turmoil at some of Europe’s biggest hubs, with air traffic controller strikes continuing to disrupt aviation in France while London Gatwick Airport is set to face two sets of worker strikes in July. "Significant disruption to security screening and passenger services" are expected at Gatwick, according to the trade union organizing the action.