Yes, you can smoke at Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) — at an enclosed smoking room after security in the departures hall, opposite Gate A18, plus designated outdoor areas outside the terminal, landside. The Gate A18 room can close intermittently for maintenance, so check for a Fuori Servizio sign when you arrive.
Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport — named after the anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, and still widely known by its old name Punta Raisi — is Sicily’s busiest airport, handling around 8 million passengers a year. It runs from a single terminal that has been through expansion work, so knowing where the smoking areas sit saves you a walk.
After Security (Airside)
The useful news for transit passengers is that Palermo keeps a smoking area airside. Once you clear security, you can reach an enclosed smoking room in the departures hall without exiting and re-screening.
The room sits opposite Gate A18, next to the restrooms, in the domestic and intra-Schengen section of the terminal. The airport announced it on its official channels in May 2024, and travellers describe a glass-walled, ventilated room with seating and ashtrays, and a “max 3 people” capacity sign on the door. Because it is past security, it works well for a quick smoke between a connecting flight and your gate.
One caveat: the Gate A18 room has an on-and-off history. It was reported out of service for maintenance in autumn 2024 and confirmed open again in early 2025, so its status can vary. When you arrive, look for the room by Gate A18 and check the door for a “Fuori Servizio / Out of Service” notice before relying on it. If it is closed, plan to use the outdoor landside areas instead.
Before Security (Landside)
Before you pass through security, smoking is at the designated outdoor areas outside the terminal building. Step out through the departures or arrivals doors, find a marked spot with ashtrays at the curbside, and you are clear to light up. Look for the “Area Fumatori” signs that are standard across Italian airports.
This is also where arriving passengers can smoke immediately after collecting bags, on the way to the buses, taxis, and car parks. It is the reliable fallback whenever the airside Gate A18 room is closed for maintenance.
Vaping
Vaping is treated the same as smoking at Palermo. Italian law extends the indoor ban to e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco devices, so use the airside smoking room by Gate A18 or the outdoor areas outside the terminal for vapes as well as cigarettes. Do not vape in the open departures hall, at the boarding gates, or in the restrooms.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor (general concourse) | No | The open terminal is smoke-free under Italy’s 2003 Sirchia Law |
| After security / airside | Yes | Enclosed, ventilated smoking room opposite Gate A18; can close for maintenance |
| Outdoor (landside) | Yes | Designated areas outside the terminal entrances |
For Italy’s airport smoking rules and vaping law, see our Italy airport guide.