Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport () is an international airport in Fiumicino, Italy, serving Rome, its metropolitan area, Vatican City and the wider Lazio region. It is the busiest airport in the country, the eighth-busiest airport in Europe and the world's 39th-busiest airport with over 51 million passengers served in 2025. It covers an area of .

Fiumicino serves as the main hub for ITA Airways, the Italian flag carrier and the largest airline in the country, and Poste Air Cargo. It was previously the hub for Alitalia, the defunct airline that was Italy's largest and main flag carrier. It is also an operating base for several other airlines, such as AeroItalia, easyJet, Neos, Ryanair, Vueling and Wizz Air. The airport is managed by Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), part of the Italian transport holding company Mundys.

Opened in 1961, it is in Fiumicino, south of Rome, and is named for Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519). Reproductions of his most famous works and inventions are displayed at the airport.

History

thumb|Check-in hall at Fiumicino in 1964

thumb|[[Air traffic control tower]]

thumb|Aerial view of the Satellite Ovest, Terminal 3

Early years

During construction, the remains of some Roman ships 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, former home-based Alitalia invested heavily in the new airport, building hangars and maintenance centres; in the same period a third runway was added (16L/34R).

Later development

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. Three runways presently operate at Leonardo da Vinci airport: 16L/34R and 16R/34L (separated by a distance of ), and 07/25, used only westwards for takeoffs owing to the prevailing winds. The airport used to have a fourth runway, 16C/34C which was located alongside 16L/34R, it was mostly used as a taxiway or as a backup for 16L/34R; the runway is now designated as Taxiway "D".

In 2010, the new single baggage handling system for more efficient luggage delivery began operations.

Terrorist attacks

Rome-Fiumicino airport has been hit twice by terrorist attacks: the first in 1973 (34 deaths) following the expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan and the Jordanian–Palestinian civil war, and the second in 1985 (19 deaths +4 terrorists) part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, presumably linked to Abu Nidal Organization.

Terminals

Overview

As of 2021, after major expansion and refurbishment works, the airport now features two terminals:

  • Terminal 1 (Gates A1-A10, A21-A29, A31-A52, A61–A83) home base to ITA Airways
  • Terminal 3 (Gates E1-E8, E11-E24, E31-E44, E51–E61)

In January 2017, Terminal 5 was closed for renovations; a new central airside hall is currently being built in the middle section. The former Terminal 2 closed permanently on 15 December 2017 to make way for the north-west expansion of Terminal 1. A new three-storey boarding and waiting area, as well as a new Pier A with 13 boarding and 10 remote gates, have been built.

From 17 March 2020 to 6 August 2021, Terminal 1 was closed due to decreased passenger traffic amidst the COVID-19 pandemic; this pause was used to perform a redesign of the main hall layout, which increased the available passenger space.

Future plans include a new Terminal 4, expansion of runways, and new buildings for car parking, services, and airport facilities.

SkyBridge

An automated people mover (APM) called SkyBridge (Innovia APM 100) opened in 1999 along with the Satellite C. It consists of two stations, one on the third floor of Terminal 3, and the other on the second floor of gate area E31–44. This shuttle train is the only means of transport for passengers between the two sections 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 re-enter the departure area. Departing passengers are permitted to take the train back to Terminal 3. However, as departing passengers mix with arriving passengers, all passengers must exit the train in the main terminal building T3 and departing passengers have to clear security again.

Airlines and destinations

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