by InTrieste
Trieste Airport, the main gateway to Friuli Venezia Giulia region, ranked second in Europe for passenger traffic growth among mid-size airports in 2025, according to new data released by Airports Council International (ACI) Europe.
The ranking appears in ACI Europe’s annual analysis of air traffic, which compares passenger volumes year over year across the continent. In 2025, Europe’s airport network recorded a 4.4 percent increase in passenger traffic compared with the previous year, a pace that ACI Europe described as a return to “normalized” growth following the post-pandemic rebound. European airports collectively welcomed an additional 100 million passengers, bringing total traffic to a record 2.6 billion travelers.
Within this broader recovery, Trieste Airport (IATA code: TRS) emerged as one of the fastest-growing facilities in its category. Classified as a medium-size airport, Trieste placed second overall in Europe for passenger growth, reinforcing a trend of sustained expansion in recent years. By the end of 2025, the airport recorded 1,651,702 passengers, marking a 136 percent increase compared with 2022.
The figures underscore the airport’s growing role as a regional transportation hub at the northeastern edge of Italy, near the borders with Slovenia and Austria. Long seen as a secondary gateway, Trieste has benefited from a gradual expansion of routes and increased connectivity, reflecting broader efforts to strengthen the region’s accessibility for both business and tourism.
Fabio Gallo, the chief executive of Trieste Airport, attributed the results to coordinated efforts beyond airport management alone. In a statement, he emphasized the role played by regional and local institutions in promoting the territory and supporting its development. “This result is not only the outcome of the airport operator’s work,” Mr. Gallo said, “but also of the commitment shown by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region and other local authorities in promoting and developing the area the airport serves.”
ACI Europe’s 2025 traffic report highlights resilience across the aviation sector, noting that growth has stabilized after the sharp fluctuations of the pandemic years. For airports like Trieste, the data suggests that smaller and mid-size facilities can capture significant gains as travel patterns evolve and regional destinations attract renewed attention.
