Aeroporti 2030 has been founded, the new association that brings together the airports of Rome Fiumicino, Rome Ciampino, Venice, Treviso, Verona, Brescia, with the aim of strengthening and promoting the innovation, digitalisation and environmental sustainability of Italian airports. Alfonso Celotto, lawyer, full professor of Constitutional Law who will guide the founding airports and those that will join in the future of the aviation sector, was nominated as chairman, ensuring added value to the growth and evolution of the system.

For the 5 airports, which, altogether, account for approximately 40% of Italian traffic, it has become a priority to make a radical change to the system, by proactively participating in the change in progress. In a world profoundly changed by the pandemic, it is necessary to project oneself towards an innovative vision that guarantees the take-off of the connectivity of the future, leaving behind the stereotypes of the past.

A strategy that, for ADR - the first Italian airport hub, seventh in Europe, for three consecutive years the quality champion in Europe and the only airport in the world awarded by UNWTO for its sustainable strategy - means focusing on digitalisation, safety, innovation and environmental sustainability. The Fiumicino and Ciampino airports have announced the zeroing of CO2 emissions by 2030, well in advance of the European references in the sector and Aeroporti di Roma was the first airport manager in the world to launch a Sustainability-Linked Bond, which directly links the cost of debt to the sustainability results actually achieved. In terms of innovation, “Leonardo da Vinci” is one of the first airports to experiment with biometric face control for passenger boarding procedures and is ready for the imminent launch of an open innovation project. 

A path undertaken for some time by the SAVE Group, which manages the airports of Venice, Treviso, Verona and Brescia according to development plans characterised by sustainability objectives, which involve the adoption of more efficient energy systems, technologies with reduced environmental impact, the continuous control and monitoring of emissions, relations with local communities for the determination of mitigation and compensation works in favour of the territories affected by the airports. Marco Polo airport in Venice, the third national intercontinental airport, has joined the “net zero emissions by 2050” commitment, with the prospect of bringing this date forward to 2030. In 2019, the airport was selected by ENEA as opinion leader for energy efficiency as part of the “ItaliainClasseA” National Campaign financed by the Ministry of Economic Development. The location of the Venice airport, along an offshoot of land reclaimed from the lagoon and belonging to a rich and complex ecosystem, make it a reference model with respect to the balance between anthropization and nature.  

“The establishment of this association that I am honoured to represent, said Alfonso Celotto “testifies to the willingness of the key players in the Italian airport system to keep up with the times and look to the future with determination. We must no longer look only at the “here and now” but we must think about the future through the present. Digital development, sustainability and globalisation make transport one of the main challenges of our future. A connected, linked and fast future in which transport and logistics will take on an increasingly strategic and decisive role. Today, the airport sector is suffering from the difficulties of the pandemic crisis. But we are well aware that times of crisis are also moments of transition and growth: as soon as the crisis passes, it will restart even more quickly than before and, thus, the airports that have made the greatest progress in terms of sustainable transition and innovation will be able to take an advantageous position, proving to be system subjects ready to actively contribute to the change and restarting of our country in an increasingly global context”.