Makeover complete, airport's Schengen zone reopens at Fiumicino
The new "A" boarding area, intended for Schengen and domestic flights, was inaugurated today at Leonardo da Vinci Airport. [...]
FCO
A new "A" boarding area for Schengen and domestic flights was opened today at Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
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Attending the event, which was attended by President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, were ENAC President Pierluigi Di Palma, Mayor of Fiumicino Esterino Montino, Mayor of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital Roberto Gualtieri, President of the Lazio Region Nicola Zingaretti and Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility Enrico Giovannini. Also in attendance were Atlantia Chairman Giampiero Massolo along with Atlantia CEO Carlo Bertazzo, as well as ADR Chairman Claudio De Vincenti and CEO Marco Troncone.
The new Boarding Area A, of approximately 37,000 square meters, a testament to Italian excellence from an engineering and architectural point of view, was completed by making the most efficient use of airport land (without additional land consumption) and built using the country's best expertise. It is a state-of-the-art infrastructure for innovative and environmentally friendly solutions that will be able to accommodate at Fiumicino airport an additional 6 million departing passengers a year, thanks to the 23 new gates, 13 of which are equipped with boarding piers. The infrastructure, an important step in the project to upgrade the airport's eastern area with a total investment of 400 million euros, was built despite the difficult years of the pandemic, which hit the air transport sector particularly hard. It is therefore part of Aeroporti di Roma's airport development project and the Atlantia Group's sustainability- and innovation-oriented path, whose focus is to make investments that enable the energy transition of its assets while activating their strong technological upgrade.
The work consists of two large structures, connected by a connecting body along which 7 original masterpieces from the Archaeological Park of Ancient Ostia are exhibited to promote Roman classicism and knowledge of the historical-artistic value of the area where Fiumicino airport operates: an innovative pier dedicated to flights to Schengen and domestic destinations, which allows the docking of the most modern aircraft available, and an exclusive commercial gallery with over 6,000 square meters of space dedicated to retail and food & beverage excellence. Services of excellence, in line with the record achieved by ADR in passenger appreciation, certified by Airport Council International and obtained by the Roman airport for 5 years in a row.
"The infrastructure we are inaugurating today is a symbol: a testimony to the value of Italy, which does not stand still despite the difficulties and starts again with courage and vision," said the CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, Marco Troncone - With the opening of boarding area A, we ensure our concrete contribution to the country's restart, preparing to face the next opportunities for revival, such as the Jubilee 2025 and Rome's candidacy for Expo 2030, which offer Italy and its Capital the chance to reaffirm its central role on the international scene. In this context, we want Fiumicino to continue to be an excellent business card: the future-proof gateway to Italy."
"The new boarding area A," he explained, "is part of a broader program that envisages investments of 10 billion euros - 2 of which have already been spent - until the end of the concession, to support the country's international connectivity and continue to nurture, to an ever-increasing extent, the socio-economic supply chain, while anticipating the necessary ecological and digital transition together with the best Italian and international excellence."
"ADR represents one of the jewels of our Group. In just a few years, it has transformed Fiumicino into the absolute most popular European hub for passengers in terms of service quality, investing more than 2 billion euros in infrastructure and new technologies," Atlantia's CEO commented, Carlo Bertazzo. "The airport," he continued, "operates on the basis of a highly sustainable development plan and is among the 10 international airports that have received the highest level of Airport Carbon Accreditation certification and will be able to reduce their emissions to zero by 2030. The new Boarding Area A inaugurated today, which follows on from Area E opened at the end of 2016, is a gateway to the future of the entire airport sector: its design is entirely "made in Italy" and allows us to offer passengers and airlines a competitive platform of the highest quality. As shareholders of ADR, we are truly pleased to be able to play our part in fostering the recovery of the tourism and aviation sector. My heartfelt thanks today go to the company's management and to all the airport workers who even in these two difficult years have never stopped: only through courage and a great passion is it possible to achieve these extraordinary results," Bertazzo concluded.
The pier for embarkations and disembarkations
More than 100 Schengen and domestic destinations can be reached from the new infrastructure, which is equipped with 23 gates, including 13 with boarding gates. The significant number of fingers will immediately result in a significant reduction in the use of buses on the tarmac, with benefits on both service quality and emissions reduction. In addition, all gates are equipped with new "self-boarding" technology, which enables passengers to perform boarding procedures independently and at speed. Pier A has dimensions of about 38 x 254 m and has three levels, one of which is underground, with an overall height of about 20 m. The interventions were designed preferring the contribution of natural lighting, with large skylight windows inserted in the roof, similar to real portholes. To give an idea of the size of Boarding Area A, suffice it to say that the total glazed area is more than 11,000sqm, space equivalent to 15 Olympic-size swimming pools. In addition, the project defined arrangements and layouts of the internal circulation and parking areas such as to promote the most comfortable relations between the passenger and the environment. A photovoltaic system with monocrystalline silicon panels was also built on the roof, which will power the infrastructure.
The pier's operation will begin tomorrow: the first Ita Airways flight will leave at 07:00, bound for Milan Linate.
The Commercial Gallery
The commercial space has a maximum length of about 166m and a width varying from about 30m to 45m with an area, including the upper level, of more than 6,000 square meters, the equivalent of 10 tennis courts. At the departure level, the passenger offer is varied and consists of retail, retail and food&beverage outlets; services available to passengers such as nursery, playground, smoking booths, etc. There are a total of 21 stores with the best of what is available on the market for shopping and food. On the upper level, at the mezzanine level of Terminal 1, a food area has been activated with a "market" format, i.e., where one chooses dishes that are cooked instantly, and Vip Lounge and work areas will also be available soon. A photovoltaic system has also been installed on the roof of the shopping gallery.
The "green" footprint of the boarding area A
The architectural concept of the area was realized through the use of the most advanced building technologies and the best standards of environmental protection. The entire project, of considerable architectural merit, is "made in Italy," as it was developed by the staff of architects and engineers at ADR Ingegneria. Classic forms, combined with transparency and maximum use of natural light, give passengers the impression of being in the middle of the runways. In addition, Pier A is being certified according to the International "Leed" protocol - (Leadership in Energy and Enviromental Design) Gold level for the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings. This level of certification denotes how the infrastructure has been designed and built to have an absolutely reduced environmental impact. Special attention has been paid to the systems and raw materials, with a green perspective, with systems for climatic treatment through radiant floor panels, control of temperature and humidity parameters in the environment, including through the integrated detection of crowding in the areas, which will allow a significant containment of energy consumption. The requirements of "green" design have also found application in the choice of materials and furniture components; all the artificial lighting has, in fact, been realized with innovative LED technologies such as to recreate on the ceiling vaults a real "starry sky" effect.
