ACI EUROPE honours Europe’s top airports for innovation, sustainability and passenger excellence

At the ACI EUROPE Annual Congress in Prague, the winners of the 2026 Best Airport Awards were announced, recognising airports that excel in operational efficiency, passenger service and environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance.

Among the category winners, Helsinki Airport received the Digital Transformation Award for its advanced operational platform now deployed across 20 airports, while Stuttgart Airport won the Eco-Innovation Award for cutting apron fleet CO? emissions by 97.6%. Vasil Levski Sofia Airport was recognised for HR Excellence thanks to its innovative use of AI in workforce management, and Dr Holger Schulz of airsight GmbH received the World Business Partner Recognition for his long-standing contribution to the aviation industry.

In the main airport categories, Wroc?aw Airport won among airports handling under five million passengers, Riga International Airport triumphed in the 5–10 million category, Venice Marco Polo Airport topped the 10–25 million segment, and Vienna International Airport won in the 25–40 million category. Rome Fiumicino Airport extended its remarkable winning streak in the over 40 million passengers category, with judges praising its continued leadership in innovation, AI-driven operations and passenger experience.

The awards were judged by a panel of leading aviation experts from organisations including the European Commission, EUROCONTROL, EASA, SESAR and ACI World.