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, BIS's General Manager, Human Resources 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.

08.07.26

SACBO and Eco.Bergamo: sustainable development at the centre of the debate on investments and policies

As a member of the Editorial Committee of Eco.Bergamo, SACBO took part on Tuesday, 7 July, in the event “Governing the Future: Investments and Policies for Italy in 2030 and 2025”, held in the setting of ChorusLife. The event represented an opportunity for discussion with economist and statistician, as well as former Minister of Infrastructure, Enrico Giovannini, currently Scientific Director of ASviS Italia.

The discussion focused on the governance of the future and investment strategies for the green transition, within a complex and highly unstable international scenario marked by inequality, poverty, and the water crisis.

In this context, a positive element emerged: Italian companies that choose the path of sustainability (High-ESG companies) are significantly more competitive, achieving higher revenues, employment levels, and investments compared to those that do not pursue this direction.

Between 2026 and 2028, Italy will be engaged in redefining its National Strategy for Sustainable Development. The speaker highlighted that only by placing intergenerational justice, the energy transition as a driver of independence, and gender inequality at the centre of policies, it will be possible to contribute to sustainable economic growth.

02.07.26

Two New Connections to the Arabian Peninsula from Milan Bergamo Airport

Between 1 and 2 July, flyadeal, the low-cost airline of the Saudia Group, launched its seasonal services to Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, operating three weekly flights on each route until 26 September.

These two new destinations expand Milan Bergamo Airport's network across the Gulf region, joining the existing services to Dubai with flydubai, Sharjah with Air Arabia in the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait City with Jazeera Airways.

03.06.26

SACBO Celebrates the “Bike Future Challenge”

On the occasion of World Bicycle Day, on Wednesday, 3 June 2026, SACBO organised the closing event of the first edition of the “Bike Future Challenge” project at the Aero Club Bergamo headquarters. The initiative, dedicated to promoting sustainable mobility, involved secondary schools across the Province of Bergamo.

The event marked the conclusion of a programme developed throughout the entire school year, during which students took part in educational visits organised at the airport and attended dedicated sessions exploring the sustainability policies adopted by the airport, while also developing projects and innovative proposals.

Approximately 250 students attended the closing event, and each school was provided with a dedicated exhibition stand to showcase its project through visual materials, prototypes, videos and multimedia content.

Certificates and awards were presented by SACBO Chairman Giovanni Sanga to representatives of IISS Ettore Majorana, Centro Studi Leonardo da Vinci, ITC Vittorio Emanuele II, ENGIM Lombardia E.T.S. and ABF Azienda Bergamasca Formazione. During the award ceremony, he expressed his appreciation for the particular attention students had devoted to airport infrastructure and services supporting cycling mobility and cycle tourism.

Milan Bergamo Airport, the first Italian airport to obtain bike-friendly certification, features a dedicated bike room and specific services for cycle tourists, reflecting a growing integration between air transport and sustainable mobility.

“The SACBO Group is committed to developing numerous initiatives aimed at reducing environmental impact and encouraging sustainable behaviour,” stated SACBO Chairman Giovanni Sanga. “The recent achievement of the Gold Bike Friendly certification confirms our tangible commitment to promoting cycling as a sustainable mode of transport, capable of contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions, improving environmental quality and enhancing people’s well-being.”

As part of the “Bike Future Challenge” project, students from IISS Ettore Majorana created videos, presentations, brochures, posters and interactive web pages dedicated to sustainable mobility and the SACBO Bike Friendly project.

Their work explored themes such as cycling infrastructure, airport-territory connections and environmental sustainability. They also developed a cargo bike prototype for luggage transport and a territorial model illustrating the cycling network between Bergamo and the airport.

Students from Centro Studi Leonardo Da Vinci created a promotional poster and an interactive web page focused on sustainable mobility and the use of bicycles in urban environments, with particular attention to local community engagement and the promotion of sustainable behaviours.

Students from ABF Azienda Bergamasca Formazione designed an energy bar inspired by local products, combining sustainability, food research and nutritional balance.

In addition, the closing event featured peer-to-peer workshops involving students from the different participating schools, as well as experiential laboratories dedicated to sustainable mobility. Students had the opportunity to learn about aircraft operations thanks to certified instructors from Aero Club Bergamo Guido Taramelli, reflecting on the relationship between air transport and sustainability. At the same time, experts from FIAB (Italian Federation for Environment and Bicycle) led activities focused on cycling, safety and sustainable mobility. Visit Bergamo also organised workshops dedicated to tourism hospitality, cycling and cycle tourism, including sessions conducted in English.

Through the “Bike Future Challenge” project, SACBO reaffirms its role as an active contributor to the sustainable development of the local area, promoting a culture of innovative and responsible mobility that successfully combines environmental awareness, infrastructure, tourism and the education of future generations.

22.05.26

JAZEERA AIRWAYS LAUNCHES DIRECT FLIGHT BETWEEN KUWAIT CITY AND MILAN BERGAMO

Jazeera Airways, Kuwait’s leading low-cost carrier inaugurated its direct flight between Kuwait and Milan Bergamo Airport on Friday, May 22, 2026. The new service will operate three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with an Airbus 320neo aircraft.

To mark the arrival of the first flight from Kuwait, Milan Bergamo Airport hosted a press conference attended by His Excellency Nasser Alqahtani, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Italy, Mohammed Khaled Al-Ajran - Consul General of the State of Kuwait to Milan, Barathan Pasupathi, Chief Executive Officer of Jazeera Airways, Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Carroll, SACBO Vice President Fabio Bombardieri, General Manager Amelia Corti, Giacomo Cattaneo, Aviation Commercial Director, Marketing & Communications and several other dignitaries.

This new opening has seen ENAC actively involved in the development of bilateral relations, as ENAC President Pierluigi Di Palma emphasizes. "The inauguration of the direct connection between Bergamo and Kuwait strengthens the strategic axis between the two countries, ideally uniting Europe and the Arabian Peninsula. This milestone is the tangible result of solid bilateral relations cultivated in recent years by Italy and ENAC, which now also create a tangible bridge between two civilizations between Bergamo and Kuwait City, as well as a lever for further economic development. Expanding connections means boosting tourism, creating new jobs, and making the region a hub for investment. The 2025 figures, with 230 million passengers at our airports, confirm the full recovery of the sector and the central role of air transport as a driver of competitiveness. Civil aviation is flying high again, looking, with renewed confidence and with new air networks, to the future of innovative, sustainable, and inclusive mobility."

His Excellency Nasser Alqahtani said: “We are pleased today to attend the inauguration of Jazeera Airways’ new direct route between the State of Kuwait and the Italian city of Bergamo. This occasion represents an important step toward strengthening the outstanding relations between the State of Kuwait and the Italian Republic. The launch of this route serves as an additional bridge for communication between the Kuwaiti and Italian peoples, as well as an opportunity to further enhance bilateral relations in the economic, tourism, and investment sectors. This year also marks the sixty- second anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. Over the past period, these relations have witnessed remarkable progress across several fields, and both sides, Italy and Kuwait, look forward to further strengthening and expanding them toward broader horizons. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the local authorities and to the management of Bergamo Airport, while also highly valuing the role played by the management and team of Jazeera Airways and commending their dedication to expanding their new air connectivity network between Kuwait and Bergamo.”

Amelia Corti, managing director of SACBO, stated: "We are proud to include Kuwait City in the Milan Bergamo Airport network of destinations. This is a new star to add to our constellation, a connection that fits our strategy of expanding connectivity with the Gulf region. The opening of the route is the result of extensive preparation by our team, which found full synergy within the airline, sharing a business model based on concreteness, long-term vision, and rapid decision-making. I particularly congratulate Jazeera Airways for their determination to adhere to the pre-established schedule, particularly in the two months preceding the first flight to Bergamo. The success of the route has been and will continue to be crucial to the tourism sector, starting with the Lombardy Region and local authorities, with the aim of promoting everything that makes the areas easily accessible from our airport attractive. The development of relationships and collaborations could also benefit the economic sector, thanks to a vast and diverse production and industrial network, such as that of education, which sees the University of Bergamo increasingly internationalized”.

Speaking at the press conference, Barathan Pasupathi, CEO of Jazeera Airways highlighted:

“We are thrilled to start our operations to the beautiful city of Milan Bergamo. Milan Bergamo marks far more than the launch of a new destination for Jazeera Airways. With this new destination, we are not just launching flights to Italy but establishing a gateway to Europe. Milan Bergamo is the foundation of our expansion into Europe and the first step in building a broader network across the continent. Following Bergamo, we will be announcing other exciting destinations and look forward to designing a network focused on convenience, value, and seamless connectivity. This is just the beginning of our European growth story.”

The launch of the three-weekly flights to Kuwait represents a historic milestone for Milan Bergamo Airport, the first in Italy to welcome Jazeera Airways. The opening of the new route, in addition to further expanding the network of connections from Milan Bergamo Airport to emerging markets, heralds significant tourism, cultural, and commercial expansion on both routes. The value of the direct connection to Kuwait is further enhanced by Jazeera Airways' international network, which offers connecting flights to countries in and around the Gulf region.

Jazeera Airways currently operates over 34 destinations across the Middle East, Central and South Asia, Africa, and Europe following an extended period where the Kuwait International Airport remined closed due to the geopolitical crisis. Operating a modern fleet of 23 aircraft, the airline carries more than five million passengers annually. Through its dedicated Terminal 5 (T5) at Kuwait International Airport, Jazeera Airways offers passengers a more seamless, efficient, and convenient travel experience with enhanced connectivity across its growing network. For the upcoming summer season, Jazeera Airways will expand its network to 60 destinations with more than 2 million seats on offer to travelers to and out of Kuwait.