Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO)

Palermo Falcone Borsellino Airport (PMO) has a limited but real smoking setup for travelers who know where to look. The most reliable option before your flight is the designated outdoor smoking area outside the terminal building, and airside there is a glass-walled smoking room opposite Gate A18 that has had an on-and-off history over the past couple of years.

Before Security

Smoking inside the terminal is strictly prohibited under Italian law. Your only landside option is to step outside to the designated smoking zones around the terminal exterior. These are marked areas with ashtrays, open to anyone before check-in or after arriving. No specific entrance number is confirmed in the sources, but look for marked "Area Fumatori" signs near the terminal doors.

After Security

The airside picture has been inconsistent. Here is what traveler reports say:

• July 2024: A smoking room was confirmed open opposite Gate A18, next to the bathrooms, in the domestic/intra-Schengen section of the terminal. Described as a glass-walled enclosed room, not tiny, with seating and ashtrays visible through the glass panels. A capacity sign reading "max 3 people" was posted on the door.

• September 2024: The same room was reported out of service as of September 27, 2024.

• February 2025: A traveler confirmed the Gate A18 smoking room was open again.

So the room exists and is operational as of early 2025, but it has been closed for maintenance or other reasons in the past. Check the signs on the door when you arrive airside.

Transit and Connecting Flights

If you are connecting through PMO and need a smoke between flights, be aware that you may need to exit the secure zone, smoke outside the terminal, and then go back through security for your onward flight. Factor in extra time if you plan to do this.

Vaping

Electronic cigarettes and vaping are covered by the same indoor ban as tobacco under Italian regulations. Do not vape inside the terminal. Use the same outdoor designated areas landside, and treat the airside smoking room as tobacco-only unless signage says otherwise.

The GESAP VIP Lounge

The GESAP VIP Lounge on the first floor (open 05:30 to 21:00) explicitly does not allow smoking, so it is not an option for smokers looking for an airside alternative.

Bottom Line

Smoke outside before security if you want a guaranteed option; the Gate A18 smoking room airside is real and was open as of February 2025, but its availability has fluctuated, so do not count on it without checking when you arrive.