Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (Italian: Aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci di Fiumicino) (IATA: FCO, ICAO: LIRF), also commonly known as Fiumicino Airport, is Italy's largest airport with 36.3 million passengers served in 2010,^[3] located in Fiumicino, 35 km from Rome's historic city centre.

The airport serves as a hub for Alitalia and based on total passenger numbers it was the sixth busiest airport in Europe, and the world's 29th busiest airport in 2011.

The airport is named after Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci, who first designed a proto helicopter and a flying machine with wings.

History

The airport was officially opened on January 15, 1961, with two runways, replacing the small Rome Ciampino Airport which remains in service for domestic and charter operations. During the decade Alitalia invested heavily in the new airport, building hangars and maintenance centers; in the same period a third runway was added (16L/34R).

Four runways presently operate at Leonardo da Vinci airport: 16L/34R and 16R/34L (separated by a distance of 4,000 metres), 16C/34C (close to 16L/34R), mostly used as a taxiway or as a backup of 16L/34R, and 07/25, used only westwards for takeoffs due to dominant winds.

Since 2005 the airport operates a category III B instrument landing system (ILS). 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.

The terminal areas were upgraded during the 1990s ^[4]:

• 1991: Opening of the domestic pier with 12 loading bridges (Pier A);
• 1995: Opening of the international pier with 10 loading bridges (Pier B);
• 1999: Opening of the west satellite with 11 loading bridges (satellite C) and sky-bridge train connecting it with the main terminal;
• 2000: Opening of the new domestic terminal (terminal A). Reorganization of terminal buildings, then consisting of: terminal A (and pier A), terminal AA, terminal B (and pier B), terminal C (and west satellite);
• 2004: Opening of new cargo terminal called Cargo City;
• 2008: Opening of terminal 5 for check-in of American carrier flights and El-Al (passengers are then bussed to the Main terminal building); serves 950,000 passengers per year. Extended work to build new pier C.
• 2009: Renaming of terminals - A has been renamed T1, AA has become T2, B and C became T3 and T5 has remained as T5.
• 2010: Launch of the new single Baggage Handling System (BHS) for more efficient luggage delivery.

The next commitments will be the following:

• completion of environment-friendly cogeneration system allowing the airport to self-produce energy;
• the new pier C (dedicated to international flights) with 16 additional loading bridges, to be completed by 2011-2012 to enable handling the expected growth from present-day 38 million passengers per year to 55 million by 2018.
• Masterplan Fiumicino Nord: to 2044, AdR, will build four new terminals and two new runways. In 2044 Fiumicino's passengers will be 100 million/year.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

• All international (non-Schengen) flights arrive at Terminal 3, through gates G and H. Terminal 5 is an isolated, departure-only facility for all US-flagged carriers and a few others^[6].

Traffic and statistics

Other facilities

All Nippon Airways has its Rome Sales Office in the Room 447 in the Office Tower (Torre Uffici), on the airport property.^[9][10] Cathay Pacific has its Rome Office in Torre Uffici 2.^[11]

Ground handling

Ground handling services have been provided by Aeroporti di Roma up to 1999 when it created Aeroporti di Roma Handling (to serve all airlines apart from Alitalia, which continued being handled by Aeroporti di Roma itself). Alitalia provided passenger assistance even before 1999. In 2001 Alitalia created Alitalia Airport and started providing self-handling and third party handling. Air One created EAS and started providing third-party services too. 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 in Fiumicino. There are some private handlers that provide passenger assistance alone: ARE Group, Globeground Italia and ICTS Italia.

On 2 May 2006 Meridiana's passenger handling staff transferred to Alitalia Airport and the ramp transferred to Alitalia Airport in February 2007 (from Aeroporti di Roma Handling).

The ground handling deregulation has brought confusion on who does what and has decreased service levels especially on transferring baggage.

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 (51% Aviapartner; 49% ARE Group) to serve Milan Malpensa and Rome Leonardo da Vinci. There are fears that luggage mishandling will go up.

In November 2006 Aeroporti di Roma Handling was sold to Flightcare (itself owned by Spanish company FCC), an Aviance member.

Security services

Security Services transferred from the Polizia di Stato to Aeroporti di Roma in 2000. Aeroporti di Roma created Airport Security (100%-owned) to provide these services as well as security services to airlines (in competition with other security companies such as IVRI). Airport Security is supervised by Polizia di Stato (Italian State Police), Guardia di Finanza (Italian Customs Police), Ente Nazionale Aviazione Civile (Italy's Civil Aviation Authority) and Aeroporti di Roma.

Ground transportation

Leonardo da Vinci is about 35 kilometres (22 mi) by car from Rome's historic city centre. The airport is served by the six-lane motorway A91 Roma-Fiumicino and numerous buses and taxis.

Fiumicino Aeroporto railway station 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 twice an hour. Alternatively, local trains leave once every 15 minutes, stopping at all stations. Passengers may have to change at Trastevere, Ostiense (Metro Piramide) or Tuscolana.^[12] The railway was scheduled to open in December 1989, with nonstop and several stop services available.^[13]

Accidents and incidents

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 flightsome engendered by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• On 23 November 1964, TWA Flight 800 (1964) an engine caught fire on the Boeing 707 during take off. 50 out of the 73 passengers and crew on board were killed.

• On 5 March 1967, Varig flight 837, a Douglas DC-8-33 registration PP-PEA flying from Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport to Rio de Janeiro-Galeão via Monrovia, caught fire after a mistaken approach to Monrovia, missing the threshold of the runway by 6,023 ft. Of the 90 passengers and crew aboard, 51 died.

• On 17 December 1973, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) Flight 110 was attacked by Palestinian terrorists. 30 passengers were killed when phosphorus bombs were thrown aboard the aircraft as it was preparing for departure.

• On 27 December 1985, during the Rome and Vienna airport attacks terrorists shot and killed 16 people and wounded 99 other at the airport.

• On 2 April 1986, Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 840, which was travelling from Fiumicino to Ellinikon International Airport in Athens, Greece, was bombed, ejecting 4 people out of the plane to their deaths. The plane landed safely.

• On 17 October 1988, Uganda Airlines flight 775, en route from London Gatwick Airport to Rome then Entebbe International Airport, crashed short of the runway after two missed approaches. 26 of 45 aboard and all 7 crew members died.

• 7 September 2005 Ryanair is under investigation by ANSV, the Italian air accident investigation agency, for an attempted bad weather approach. During an unstabilised approach, the non-flying co-pilot had to intervene to initiate a late go-around, then the crew decided to divert to Pescara.

References

External links

• Airport information for LIRF at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
• Airport information for LIRF at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
• Current weather for LIRF at NOAA/NWS
• Accident history for FCO at Aviation Safety Network
• Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (English/Italian)
• Rome Airport Fiumicino Information (English)
• Boeing Company's listing of Fiumicino Airport, its runways, and noise abatement procedures
• Airport information from World Aeronautical Database
• UK team to plan Rome Fiumicino international terminal expansion