Aeroporti di Roma celebrates 50 years. Now Fiumicino aims for 100 million passengers

"Together, Beyond Flying." With this slogan Rome Airports (ADR) celebrated its first 50 years at Fiumicino by relaunching the role of the Capitoline airport for the next 20 years with the ambition to double the number of passengers.

A challenge launched after the airport achieved amazing results in recent years, becoming the best European airport (and among the best in the world) for services and passenger accessibility.

A metamorphosis built bit by bit which has overturned Fiumicino's reputation and role as the first and only Italian 5-star Skytrax airport and the best airport in Europe for quality, in the hub category with over 40 million passengers, for the past six years.

Fiumicino and the 100 million passengers

Now Aeroporti di Roma, the company that manages both Leonardo da Vinci and Ciampino airports, has a clear mission: it wants to grow even more through investment with a 9 billion euro plan which also means a (repeatedly postponed) track and space expansion project.

The latter is the real issue (not mentioned but veiledly hinted at throughout the event) for which Aeroporti di Roma's top management is asking the Italian government for support.

"Fiumicino's airport development plan is a sine qua non and the airport is not a closed fortress - reminded Giampiero Massolo, president of Mundys, a company that controls Aeroporti di Roma - I trust in a virtuous path all together. We need a pact with the government and all the regulatory authorities for a development plan that looks to the future with respect for everyone and with the harmony and unanimity of all the shareholders. We are at the disposal of the government to work together to launch a development plan in the groove of sustainability."

Thus was born the 9 billion investment plan announced by ADR for the next 20 years with the goal of going from 40.5 million passengers in 2023 To the future 100 million in 2046. Just a few days ago, in fact, Aci Europe ranked the busiest European airports during the past year.

Rome Fiumicino ranked ninth with +38% passengers over 2022: a result that sees it as the best airport (among large hubs) by annual growth. First place is London Heathrow with just under 80 million passengers.

The doubling of passengers that ADR believes in, however, will have to contend with the very With a further step forward both in terms of the physical size of airport space and in terms of the commercial supply of flights. And in the latter case, it would also serve to have a airline (see ITA) or a large Group (see Lufthansa?). That will set the pace for the coming decades.

ADR's new logo

ADR's 50th birthday event, held yesterday at the airport's Terminal 3, also featured the launch of the new logo Of the very company founded on February 12, 1974.

The new logo sees a brighter, more metallic blue color, with the lettering that meets an arrow - resembling the wing of an airplane - pointing upward, indicating precisely future growth. The payoff that will accompany it from now on will be precisely "Togheter, Beyond Flying" .

"A claim that reflects the airport management company's focus on people and a new logo that, by visually stretching upward, symbolizes the company's ongoing commitment to outlining the airport of the future, a place attentive to the well-being of all where, in order to maintain and raise the levels of excellence of the services offered to passengers, development is combined with sustainability, innovation, quality, art and culture," ADR's note emphasizes.

The celebrations were attended by, among others, the Minister of Civil Service Paul Zangrillo and the Minister of the Interior Matteo Planters,  ADR's president and chief executive officer, Vincenzo Nunziata and Marco Troncone,  Alessandra Bruni ENAV President and Antonino Turicchi ITA Airways President.

The minister himself Piantedosi, along with ADR top management, unveiled the installation in Terminal 1 Plaza of three stained glass windows attributed to Giotto on loan from the Interior Ministry's Fondo Edifici di Culto and from the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, which, starting today, can be admired by passengers.

The evolution of Aeroporti di Roma

The speakers' speeches also traced the milestones of ADR's first 50 years in business. Since the establishment of the company, the Capital's airports have grown to the point that during 2023 they saw 44.4 million passengers pass through, with programming involving some 100 airlines flying through 230 routes in more than 70 countries, thus connecting the city of Rome with all continents.

"Aeroporti di Roma is celebrating its first 50 years of operation by looking ahead with optimism and determination, particularly with respect to the crucial challenges for the future of air transport, on which both industrial and institutional players will have to focus: environmental transition, competitiveness of the national transportation system, and investment to support growth," said finally CEO Marco Troncone.

 

The most recent years have been marked by the company's efforts to further raise the quality of its passenger services, its push for innovation, sustainable development and digitalization.

These include: the opening in 2016, Of the international boarding area E; the opening of boarding area A with 23 new gates; the new commercial gallery of 6,000 square meters and 21 outlets; the completion of the redevelopment of the former National Pier (gates A31-59); the completion of the new Square, the center of gravity of the larger project of upgrading of Terminal 1; the opening of the new gates formerly boarding area C.

• rome airports