09.07.26

SACBO received the "Highly Commended" recognition in the HR Excellence category

On 23 June 2026, SACBO received the Highly Commended recognition at the ACI EUROPE HR Excellence Awards, a special distinction reserved for projects that stand out for their quality, innovation, and organisational impact in the field of Human Resources.

Below are the exact words delivered during the award ceremony:

"...recognises an HR department that has demonstrated excellence in managing human resources and developing the airport workforce of the future. This year particular attention was given to the successful application of AI tools and technologies to support HR practices, enhance workforce development and help prepare airport organisations for the opportunities and challenges in the years to come. To present the award, I'd like to ask ACI World's General Director, Justin Erbacci, to come to the stage.

The HR Excellence Award's highly commended airport was recognised for its innovative Call for Ideas initiative described by judges as having fostered a strong sense of belonging and commitment in all collaborators. The jury also welcomed the integration of AI to support health and safety outcomes highlighting a forward-looking approach to workforce engagement and innovation. Our highly commended airport goes to Milan Bergamo Airport. Thank you."

The recognition was awarded for the "Call for Ideas 2025 – Building the Airport of the Future Together" project, an initiative promoted by the Human Resources Department with the aim of transforming innovation into a structured and participatory process by directly involving employees in identifying solutions for the airport's future development.

The initiative gave all employees of SACBO and BGY International Services the opportunity to submit innovative ideas to improve processes, services, and organisational practices, while fostering a corporate culture based on participation, empowerment, and continuous innovation.

The programme officially launched on 12 May 2025 with the opening of the Call for Ideas. Following the submission phase, which concluded on 30 September 2025, participants attended a dedicated training programme consisting of three workshops held between October and November. The sessions provided practical tools and methodologies to transform ideas into viable projects and to develop effective presentations.

The initiative generated 13 projects, submitted individually or by teams, involving 17 participants from the two companies within the Group. The proposals addressed strategic topics for the airport's future, including operational process optimisation, safety and security, service quality, airport flow management, and the application of Artificial Intelligence to business processes.

The projects were evaluated by a multidisciplinary committee composed of SACBO's General Manager, Human Resources Director, Non-Aviation Commercial Director, Operations Director, Administration, Finance & Control Director, Infrastructure Director, Head of IT, and Innovation Operational Manager.

The committee was further strengthened by the participation of two external members: the Innovation Manager of Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) and the Innovation Manager of SEA Milan Airports, ensuring a comprehensive assessment from strategic, technical, economic, and innovation perspectives.

Projects were assessed according to objective criteria, including feasibility within the airport environment, organisational impact, level of innovation, implementation speed, and alignment with the company's strategic objectives.

The award ceremony took place on 17 December 2025 in the presence of the Steering Committee, the evaluation panel, and all participants. The winning project was "Outsight: A New Model for Optimised Airport Flow Management", a solution based on Artificial Intelligence capable of anonymously tracking passenger movements. The technology would enable advanced analytics aimed at improving passenger flows throughout the terminal, gaining insights into customer behaviour, and monitoring commercial performance.

In addition to the winning project, a number of special recognitions were presented to initiatives that distinguished themselves for their commercial approach, innovation, technological excellence, inclusion and feasibility, environmental sustainability, social sustainability, inspirational value, continuous learning, employee wellbeing, and organisational vision. The Best Performer and CFI Ambassador awards were also presented.

During 2026, the initiative entered its second development phase, with a series of workshops involving project proponents and experts from the various corporate functions to assess the practical feasibility of the proposals and support the most promising initiatives towards future operational pilot projects.

The recognition received from ACI EUROPE represents an important endorsement of SACBO's approach to promoting organisational innovation, confirming that employee engagement is a strategic driver for the airport's development and for strengthening the company's culture of innovation.