The continuous commitment to improving the quality of services, the efficient use of European airspace capacity and ground infrastructure, and strategies for pursuing the challenging decarbonization objectives of the Fit for 55 Package were the central themes of the Workshop “Reduce carbon footprint of the airport sector - Shaping the future of European airports: sustainability challenges and opportunities”, held at the Bari airport convention center. The workshop has been realised within the project ONCLOUDNINE+ funded by INTERREG IPA SOUTH ADRIATIC Programme 2021-2027.

The workshop was attended by authoritative institutional and sector representatives: the Italian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Galeazzo Bignami, the President of ART, Nicola Zaccheo, the President of ENAC, Pierluigi Di Palma, the President of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano, the President of ENAV Alessandra Bruni, the CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, Marco Troncone, the President of Aeroporti di Puglia, Antonio Maria Vasile and Francesco Nucera, Development & Maintenance Director of the Save Group. The closing speech was given by the President of Aeroporti 2030, Alfonso Celotto., Additionally, project partner and stakeholders participated, such as Milica Micuvonic of Montenegrin Ministry of Transport and Milos Jankovic of Montenegro Airports, Elona Caushi, representative of the Albanian Agency for Innovation and Excellence and Eriola Tola, Director of Asset Management and Environment Department of Tirana International Airport.

The workshop represented an important opportunity for dialogue between institutions, companies, and operators in the sector, with the aim of taking stock of the green transition and digital innovation in European airports.

The summer just past saw a sharp increase in passengers, but also highlighted the need to identify strategies to cope with the further increase in traffic volumes expected in the coming years, maintaining the highest safety standards and constantly increasing the levels of service quality while pursuing the decarbonization objectives of air transport.

In particular, during the past summer, Italian airports recorded a significant increase in the number of flights compared to the same period of the previous year, recording a growth that exceeded the average growth rate of European air traffic, equal to about 10%. In the first nine months of 2024, Italian airports recorded almost 170 million passengers, 13.29% more than in 2019 and 11.59% more than in 2023.

This underlines the need for long-term analysis and planning to ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of the airport sector in Europe, paying particular attention to the role of work and technological innovation “Aeroporti di Puglia – declared the President of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano – is building a new strategy not only in marketing, in promoting the use of air transport to facilitate the economy and tourism of the region, but is investing heavily in the decarbonization of its plants to limit emissions. This will allow Puglia's emissions balance to fall within the parameters assigned to us by international agreements. It is the equivalent of what happens in all other sectors of the Apulian economy. Puglia is at the forefront in structuring its energy plan, in identifying suitable areas for the installation of wind and photovoltaic plants. We are the Region that has given life to energy income, a mechanism that allows the poorest families to have financing to build plants and thus accumulate additional income. Therefore – concluded Emiliano – we have put in place a set of actions that are now being consecrated because we are continuously restructuring all our airports: Bari, Brindisi, Foggia, Grottaglie. Puglia, with less than four million inhabitants, has four operational airports, each with its own specialization, but all capable of implementing the energy policies that Italy has undertaken to reduce CO2 emissions.”