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 40th-busiest airport with over 50 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
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).
Terrorist attacks
Rome-Fiumicino airport has been hit twice by terrorist attacks. The first attack was in 1973 (34 deaths) following the expulsion of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from Jordan and the Jordanian–Palestinian civil war. The second attack occurred in 1985 (19 deaths +4 terrorists in the departure area of Terminal B, now Terminal 3) part of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, presumably linked to Abu Nidal Organization.
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".Jeppesen Data dated 5 June 2020
In 2010, the new single baggage handling system for more efficient luggage delivery began operations.
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) is the largest terminal. It also incorporates the former Terminal 5 as well as the satellite building for non-Schengen departures. A new central airside hall has been built as its middle part in recent years.
Development The terminals were upgraded during the 1990s and 2000s.
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:
Statistics Graph
Busiest domestic routes + Busiest domestic routes from/to Rome–Fiumicino (2023) RankRankAirportPassengersAirline(s)1Catania, Sicily Aeroitalia, ITA Airways, Ryanair2Palermo, Sicily Aeroitalia, ITA Airways, Ryanair3 1Milan-Linate, Lombardy ITA Airways4 1Cagliari, Sardinia ITA Airways5Bari, Apulia ITA Airways, Ryanair6Brindisi, Apulia ITA Airways, Ryanair7Olbia, Sardinia Aeroitalia, Volotea8 3Turin, Piedmont ITA Airways9 3Venice, Veneto ITA Airways10Genoa, Liguria ITA Airways
Busiest European routes + Busiest European routes from/to Rome–Fiumicino (2023) RankRankAirportPassengers Airline(s)1Madrid, Spain Air Europa, Iberia, ITA Airways, Wizz Air2Barcelona, Spain ITA Airways, Ryanair, Vueling, Wizz Air3 2Paris–Orly, France easyJet, Transavia, Vueling, Wizz Air4 1Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France ITA Airways, Air France5 3London-Gatwick, United Kingdom easyJet, Vueling, Wizz Air6Athens, Greece Aegean Airlines, ITA Airways, Ryanair, Sky Express7London–Heathrow, United Kingdom ITA Airways, British Airways8 4Amsterdam, Netherlands ITA Airways, KLM9Brussels, Belgium Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Ryanair10 1Frankfurt, Germany ITA Airways, Lufthansa11 1Munich, Germany ITA Airways, Lufthansa12Vienna, Austria Austrian Airlines, Ryanair, Wizz Air13Istanbul, Turkey Turkish Airlines14Lisbon, Portugal Ryanair, TAP Air Portugal15 1Zürich, Switzerland ITA Airways, Swiss International Air Lines16 6Dublin, Ireland Aer Lingus, Ryanair17 1Nice, France ITA Airways, easyJet, Wizz Air18 3Prague, Czech Republic Eurowings, Smartwings, Wizz Air19 6Valencia, Spain Ryanair, Vueling, Wizz Air20 1Tirana, Albania ITA Airways, Air Albania, Wizz Air
Busiest intercontinental routes + Busiest intercontinental routes from/to Rome–Fiumicino (2023) RankRankAirportPassengersAirline(s)1New York–JFK, United States ITA Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Norse Atlantic Airways2Tel Aviv, Israel ITA Airways, El Al, Vueling, Ryanair3Dubai–International, United Arab Emirates Emirates4Doha, Qatar Qatar Airways5 11Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Etihad Airways6 8São Paulo–Guarulhos, Brazil ITA Airways, LATAM Brasil7 5Buenos Aires–Ezeiza, Argentina Aerolíneas Argentinas, ITA Airways8 1Toronto–Pearson, Canada Air Canada, Air Transat, ITA Airways9 6Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Turkey Pegasus Airlines, Turkish Airlines10 4Atlanta, United States Delta Air Lines11 6Newark, United States United Airlines12 16Seoul–Incheon, South Korea Asiana Airlines, Korean Air13 5Montréal–Trudeau, Canada Air Canada, Air Transat14 1Cairo, Egypt ITA Airways, EgyptAir15 5Chicago–O'Hare, United States American Airlines, United Airlines16 7Boston, United States Delta Air Lines, ITA Airways17 6Tunis, Tunisia ITA Airways, Tunisair18 4Washington–Dulles, United States ITA Airways, United Airlines19 1Dallas/Fort Worth, United States American Airlines20 2Miami, United States ITA Airways
Ground transport
Leonardo Express 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 the city center of Rome, with a non-stop trip that is provided every 15 minutes. The railway section to the airport was opened in May 1990, and uses the Rome-Fiumicino railway infrastructure.
FL lines Leonardo da Vinci airport is also connected to Rome by the FL1 line, a suburban commuter and rapid transit line. The FL1 line does not provide a direct connection to Termini station, but connects the city by stopping at all stations between the airport and the northern outskirts of the city, with trains running every 15 minutes. It stops at most of Rome's main stations where it is possible to change to the metro, tram, and bus network: Trastevere (Tram lines 3 and 8), Ostiense (Metro Piramide), Tuscolana (Metro Ponte Lungo) or Roma Tiburtina (Metro Tiburtina).
High-speed The airport is also connected to the Italian high-speed network, the following connections depart from Fiumicino Aeroporto station: Frecciarossa (from 9 December 2018): which connects it to Venice via the national high-speed network with intermediate stops in Roma Termini, Roma Tiburtina, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Bologna and Padua (frequency two pairs of trains per day). Frecciarossa (from 12 July 2022): which connects to Naples via the national high-speed network with intermediate stops in Napoli Afragola and Roma Termini.
Road
Leonardo da Vinci is about by car from Rome's historic city centre. The airport is also served by different categories of transport: buses, shuttle buses, car sharing and taxis.
The airport is a terminus for local and national bus lines: Night connection COTRAL Fiumicino Airport - Roma Termini - Roma Tiburtina station Connection COTRAL Cornelia Metro line A - Fregene - Fiumicino Airport Connection COTRAL Lido di Ostia Centro - Isola Sacra - Fiumicino Airport Connection COTRAL EUR Magliana Metro line B - Fiumicino City - Fiumicino Airport Connection COTRAL Latina - Fiumicino Airport TERRAVISION SHUTTLE connection Roma Termini - Fiumicino Airport Schiaffini Bus Connection Roma Termini - Fiumicino Airport SIT BUS SHUTTLE connection Roma Termini - Piazza Cavour - Fiumicino Airport Tam Bus connection Roma Ostiense - Fiumicino Airport AIRPORT CONNECTION connection Fiumicino Airport - Rome Bus Rental Added to these are the national connections operated by the companies Flixbus and Itabus.
It can be reached from the highways: Rome - Fiumicino Airport; Rome - Civitavecchia - Tarquinia. And also from the following streets: state road which connects Ostia to Fiumicino; SP1 Via Portuense provincial road which connects Fiumicino with Rome. Rome Fiumicino airport is equipped with: Multi-storey car parks P-Terminal (A-B-C-D) Long-term parking Executive parking Parking for motorcycles (available on the ground floor of the Multi-storey P-Terminal A).
Leonardo da Vinci has improved the real-time info mobility service that is provided to passengers and airport operators on the leading connections from the airport. This new layout makes it easier for passengers to interpret information on connections to and from the airport. They have also upgraded road surfaces in the arrival areas of Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 to let taxis pull up to the platform more easily and make it easier for passengers to get off.
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.