Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport


Rome–Fiumicino International Airport "Leonardo da Vinci" is an international airport in Rome and the major airport in Italy. It is one of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic with almost 43 million passengers served in 2018.
The airport serves as the main hub for Alitalia, the largest Italian airline, and Vueling, a Spanish low-cost carrier owned by International Airlines Group. Based on total passenger numbers, it is the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and was the world's 47th-busiest airport in 2017. It covers an area of 16 km and is named after polymath Leonardo da Vinci who, in 1480, designed a flying machine with wings and the first proto helicopter.

History

Early years

During construction the remains of Caligula's Giant Ship were found.
The airport was officially opened on 15 January 1961, with two runways, replacing the smaller Rome Ciampino Airport, which remains in service for some low-cost airlines as well as domestic and charter operations. Despite being officially opened in 1961, Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport had actually been in use since 20 August 1960. This was to help relieve air traffic that was congesting Rome Ciampino Airport during the 1960 Summer Olympics.
During the 1960s, home-carrier Alitalia invested heavily in the new airport, building hangars and maintenance centres; in the same period a third runway was added.

Later development

Security Services transferred from the Polizia di Stato to Aeroporti di Roma S.p.A. in 2000. Aeroporti di Roma created ADR Security S.r.l. to provide these services as well as security services to airlines. Airport Security is supervised by Polizia di Stato, Guardia di Finanza, Italian Civil Aviation Authority and Aeroporti di Roma S.p.A.. Ground handling services were provided by Aeroporti di Roma until 1999, when it created Aeroporti di Roma Handling. Alitalia provided passenger assistance even before 1999. In 2001, Alitalia created "Alitalia Airport" and started providing ground handling for itself and other airlines. Aeroporti di Roma Handling remains the biggest handler in terms of airlines handled, but Alitalia Airport is the biggest handler in terms of airplanes handled as Alitalia aircraft account for 50% of the ones at Fiumicino. In May 2006, Italy's Civil Aviation Authority announced that it took off the limitation of 3 ramp handlers in Rome Leonardo da Vinci airport. ARE Group and Aviapartner announced that they would create a company called Aviapartner to serve Milan Malpensa and Rome Leonardo da Vinci.
Since 2005, the airport operates a category III B instrument landing system. Further improvement work was implemented in 2007 to enable the airport to handle 30 takeoffs/landings per hour, up from 10, in the event of thick fog. Four runways presently operate at Leonardo da Vinci airport: 16L/34R and 16R/34L, mostly used as a taxiway or as a backup for 16L/34R, and 07/25, used only westwards for takeoffs owing to the prevailing winds.
In 2010, the new single baggage handling system for more efficient luggage delivery began operations.
Several projects are planned. These include the construction of an environmentally-friendly cogeneration system, which would allow the airport to produce its own energy; construction of Pier C with 16 additional loading bridges, to handle the expected growth from 38 million passengers per year in 2014 to 55 million by 2018; and the "Masterplan Fiumicino Nord", involving four new terminals and two new runways to be built in the future handling 100 million passengers per year.

Terminals

Overview

The airport currently features three passenger terminals, of which two are operational.
The terminals were upgraded during the 1990s and 2000s. In 1991, the domestic Pier A with 12 gates opened, followed in 1995 by the international Pier B with 10 gates and in 1999 by the international Satellite C with 14 gates. In 2000, the new domestic Terminal A opened, and the terminal buildings, then consisting of Terminal A, Terminal AA, Terminal B and Terminal C, were reorganized.
The dedicated Cargo City terminal was added in 2004, while the check-in counters for American carriers and El Al in Terminal 5 opened in 2008, with passengers then being bused to what was then called Satellite C. In 2009, the terminals were renamed – A was renamed T1, AA was renamed T2, B and C became T3, and T5 stayed the same. The former Terminal 2 closed permanently on 15 December 2017 to make way for the expansion of Terminal 1.

SkyBridge

An automated people mover called SkyBridge opened in 1999 along with the Satellite C. It consists of two stations, one in the third floor of Terminal 3, and the other in the second floor of gate area E31-44. This shuttle train is the only means of transport for passengers between the two parts of the terminal. The westbound service, from T3 to Gates E31-44, is for departing passengers only, while the eastbound service is for arriving passengers only. Arriving passengers are not permitted to take the train back, as they need to pass through a transfer security checkpoint to reenter the departure area. Likewise, departing passengers are not permitted to take the train back to Terminal 3.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled, seasonal and charter flights to and from Fiumicino:

Statistics

Busiest domestic routes


RankRank
var.
AirportPassengersAirline
1 Catania, Sicily Alitalia, Ryanair, Vueling
2 Palermo, Sicily Alitalia, Ryanair, Vueling
3 Milan-Linate, Lombardy Alitalia
4 Cagliari, Sardinia Alitalia
5 Bari, Apulia Alitalia, Ryanair
6 1 Brindisi, Apulia Alitalia, Ryanair
7 1 Turin, Piedmont Alitalia, Blue Panorama Airlines
8 1 Venice, Veneto Alitalia
9 1 Lamezia Terme, Calabria Alitalia
10 Genoa, Liguria Alitalia
11 1 Olbia, Sardinia Air Italy, Meridiana
12 1 Naples, Campania Alitalia
13 3 Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Alitalia
14 3 Alghero, Sardinia Blue Air
15 Florence, Tuscany Alitalia
16 2 Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia Alitalia
17 4 Milan-Malpensa, Lombardy Air Italy, Alitalia
18 Verona, Veneto Alitalia, Neos
19 2 Reggio Calabria, Calabria Alitalia
20 1 Pisa, Tuscany Alitalia

Busiest European routes


RankRank
var.
AirportPassengersAirline
1 Barcelona, Spain Alitalia, Ryanair, Vueling
2 1 Madrid, Spain Air Europa, Alitalia, Iberia, Vueling
3 1 Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France Alitalia, Joon, Vueling
4 1 London–Heathrow, United Kingdom Alitalia, British Airways
5 3 Amsterdam, Netherlands Alitalia, KLM, easyJet, Vueling
6 Paris–Orly, France easyJet, Vueling
7 2 Munich, Germany Alitalia, Lufthansa, Vueling
8 1 Brussels, Belgium Alitalia, Brussels Airlines, Ryanair
9 1 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Alitalia, Lufthansa
10 London–Gatwick, United Kingdom British Airways, easyJet, Vueling
11 Athens, Greece Aegean Airlines, Alitalia
12 1 Moscow–Sheremetyevo, Russia Aeroflot, Alitalia
13 1 Zurich, Switzerland Alitalia, Swiss International Air Lines
14 Lisbon, Portugal TAP Portugal
15 11 Vienna, AustriaEurowings, Laudamotion, Vueling, Wizz Air
16 Istanbul–Atatürk, Turkey Turkish Airlines
17 4 Luqa, Malta Air Malta, Alitalia, Ryanair
18 3 Geneva, Switzerland Alitalia, easyJet
19 1 Tirana, Albania Alitalia, Blue Panorama Airlines, Ernest Airlines
20 2 Nice, France Alitalia, easyJet

Busiest intercontinental routes


RankRank
var.
17/18		AirportPassengersAirline
1 1 Tel Aviv–Ben Gurion, Israel Alitalia, El Al, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Vueling, Ryanair
2 1 New York–John F. Kennedy, United States Alitalia, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines
3 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Emirates
4 1 Seoul–Incheon, South Korea Alitalia, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air
5 9 São Paulo–Guarulhos, Brazil Alitalia, LATAM Brasil
6 1 Doha, Qatar Qatar Airways
7 3 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Alitalia, Etihad Airways
8 2 Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Argentina Aerolíneas Argentinas, Alitalia
9 1 Toronto–Pearson, Canada Alitalia, Air Canada, Air Transat
10 15 Newark, United States Norwegian Air Shuttle, United Airlines
11 2 Cairo, Egypt Alitalia, EgyptAir
12 Tunis, Tunisia Alitalia, Tunisair
13 2 Atlanta, United States Delta Air Lines
14 1 Chicago–O'Hare, United States Alitalia, American Airlines, United Airlines
15 5 Beijing–Capital, China Air China
16 22 Delhi, India Air India, Alitalia
17 2 Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Turkey Pegasus Airlines, Turkish Airlines
18 12 Los Angeles, United States Alitalia, Norwegian Air Shuttle
19 3 Tokyo–Narita, Japan Alitalia
20 Montréal–Trudeau, Canada Air Canada, Air Transat

Ground transportation

Train

is served by the Leonardo Express train operated by Trenitalia, available at the airport terminal. It takes 30 minutes to get to Termini Station in a non-stop trip that is provided every 15 minutes. Alternatively, local trains leave once every 15 minutes, stopping at all stations. However, these trains do not head to Termini station. Passengers have to change at Trastevere, Ostiense or Tuscolana. The railway opened in December 1989, with nonstop and several stop services available.

Road

Leonardo da Vinci is about by car from Rome's historic city centre. The airport is served by the six-lane Autostrada A91 motorway and numerous buses and taxis.

Incidents and accidents

From the 1960s until the 1980s, the airport experienced significant aircraft hijackings as well as being the scene of two major terrorist attacks and the port of origin for an aircraft bombing in flight—some engendered by Palestinians as part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.