Beijing to provide 80 million euros for Venice’s Marco Polo Airport
The aim is to improve the airport’s energy efficiency and sustainability; with 11.8 million passengers in 2025, it is Italia’s third-busiest intercontinental airport
A loan of 80 million euros has been granted to Milione Spa, the parent company of Save, the operator of Venice Marco Polo Airport, which was named Europe’s best airport in the 10–25 million passenger category by ACI Europe (Airports Council International) in June.
Funding
This decision was taken by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the financial arm of the European Union, owned by the 27 Member States: it is one of the world’s leading multilateral development banks. In 2025, the EIB Group signed off on €100 billion in new financing to support over 870 high-impact projects across eight strategic priorities that contribute to the EU’s policy objectives: climate action and environmental protection, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and the bioeconomy, social infrastructure, strong global partnerships, and the Savings and Investment Union. As regards Italia, in 2025 the EIB Group signed 105 new financing agreements totalling €12.3 billion.
Save, established in 1987, is the holding company of a group operating primarily in airport management. The group manages the North-East Airport Cluster, which comprises the airports of Venice, Treviso, Verona and Brescia, and is involved in the management of Charleroi Airport in Belgium. With 11.8 million passengers in 2025, Venice Marco Polo Airport is Italia’s third-largest intercontinental airport and forms the centre of the North-East Airport Hub.
Efficiency and sustainability
The agreement in question aims to support measures designed to improve the airport’s energy efficiency and environmental sustainability and was signed in Rome by Jean Christophe Laloux, Director General and Head of Financing and Advisory Operations at the EIB in the EU, and by Giovanni Curtolo, Chief Financial Officer of Milione and Save.
The funding supports an investment programme focused on the electrification of operations, digitalisation and the strengthening of operational resilience, as part of the Company’s path towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. The initiatives include the development of low-emission infrastructure, the procurement of electric vehicles, the expansion of infrastructure dedicated to generating electricity from renewable sources, and the upgrading of IT systems, including cyber security.
