With its first Integrated Report, ADR intends to offer, in a single document, full and exhaustive disclosure of the value generated through financial, environmental, social and governance performance.

This confirms the importance for the Group of an integrated management approach as an inseparable element of its strategy at the basis of the path of innovation and sustainable development for the next few years.

2021 RESULTS

Traffic closed the year with approximately 14 million passengers, with a recovery of 22.2% compared with 2020, thanks to the domestic and European components (+ 24.8% and + 22.4%), whilst the Non-European long-haul component (-18.5%) was strongly depressed, which was particularly significant due to the characteristics of the intercontinental hub of Fiumicino airport. The wide gap in passenger flows compared with 2019 (-71.7%) confirms the characteristics of a crisis that is anything but temporary and which will continue in the coming years, albeit with hopefully increasingly less significant effects. 

The economic results reflect the negative trend of the business and despite the support deriving from the registration in the year of the government subsidy approved in favour of the Italian airport sector, the economic result closed with an operating loss of €45.9 million and with a net loss of €38.0 million. In any case, thanks to the financial operations implemented in 2021, the Group benefited from adequate financial protection thanks to the fact that it was possible to focus management attention, not only on the operational and health crisis, but also on preparatory activities for the prompt resumption of business activity at the end of the emergency.

Investments amounted to over €177 million, an increase of approximately 17% compared with 2020, for the expansion and enhancement of Rome’s airport system. Specifically, the investments made during the year concerned the expansion works of Terminal 1, the completion of the Single Control Room (APOC) and the restructuring of Terminal 3.

In terms of sustainability, in 2021 ADR significantly improved its main ESG indicators. Specifically, energy consumption decreased by over 30 thousand MWh compared with 2019, despite the anti-Covid regulations, which made it mandatory to change 100% of the air in air conditioning systems, whilst the overall consumption of industrial and drinking water is reduced by approximately 530 thousand cubic metres. There is also a decline in CO2 emissions which, in total, have decreased by over 417 thousand tonnes, again compared with 2019. Separate waste collection continued to grow, reaching 99% of the waste generated at the airport. 

The CEO of ADR, Marco Troncone, said:

“Although 2021 was a complex year, we have remained concretely committed to the development of our airports, to confirm the excellence of the service and, at the same time, accelerate the transformation towards increasingly smart airports. We continue our investments with determination because the potential of Rome remains fully intact, also in view of the events of the Jubilee 2025 and Expo 2030, which represent great opportunities for Rome and the entire country, also to reduce the gap in connectivity and infrastructures in the area”.

Despite this negative scenario, the Group’s commitment continued to equip the Rome airport system with innovative procedures, technologies and systems in order to ensure cutting-edge safety and quality standards. The results achieved have allowed the Fiumicino and Ciampino airports to be amongst the most recognised internationally not only in fighting the pandemic, but also for the services offered to passengers. Such that “Leonardo da Vinci” was awarded for the fifth consecutive year with ACI's ASQ (Airport Service Quality) precisely for the excellence of its services.

DISTINCTIVE ELEMENTS OF FINANCIAL YEAR 2021

Sustainability and Innovation

Fiumicino and Ciampino airports were one of the first airports in the world to adopt the Net Zero 2030 resolution, at least 20 years ahead of the targets set by the sector at European level, with a plan mainly aimed at renewable sources and electric mobility.  In addition, the capital’ airports have obtained, as the first stopovers in the European Union, the highest Airport Carbon Accreditation 4+ “Transition” certification by ACI Europe on the reduction of direct and indirect CO2 emissions. 

In the innovation sector, ADR has implemented various initiatives. The first “Call for Ideas” was launched, in partnership with Plug and Play Tech Center and LVenture Group, to create an ecosystem of cooperation capable of achieving the energy and digital transition objectives of Fiumicino and Ciampino Airports. Work then began on ADR’s “corporate vertical incubator» which will make it possible to create an innovative hub dedicated to the airport sector.  During 2021, the new APOC (Airport Operations Center) integrated control room was also opened, as part of the European SESAR projects on air traffic management of the Single European Sky. A flagship of innovation for ADR which earned the latter the recognition of ACI Europe for the Digital transformation amongst European airports.

ADR has also signed an agreement with ENAC and ENAV for the development of Urban Air Mobility services, with reference to the metropolitan area of ​​Rome and the connections between the two airports of the capital and the city centre. On the same issue, ADR has developed a partnership with Volocopter, a world leader in the sector, for the launch of the first Urban Air Mobility commercial route in the Rome area.  To facilitate this initiative, ADR has also promoted, together with Venice Airport, Aeroports de la Cote d'Azure and Bologna Airport, the Urban Blue project for the development of urban air mobility infrastructures at an international level. 

Risk management

The ADR Group is exposed to strategic, operational, financial and compliance risks typical of the sector. During 2021, the supervision of these activities was further strengthened with the new Enterprise Risk Management process.

The Enterprise Risk Management process involves the constant updating of the Risk Appetite Framework, the Risk Catalogue and the related measurement and the identification and monitoring of any corrective actions.

Subsequent events

The new development plan, currently being examined by ENAC, has been the subject of numerous meetings with representatives of local institutions. The project remodels the infrastructural development objectives in a sustainable key with a strong acceleration on intermodality to facilitate the transition to a smart hub of the Fiumicino airport also in view of the Jubilee 2025 and Expo 2030, which represent great development opportunities for Rome and the whole country.

OUTLOOK 2022 

Although the health crisis has not yet ended, it is estimated, also following the termination of the state of emergency expected in Italy for 31 March 2022, a significant progress for the summer (especially by North America) with a traffic forecast for 2022 that at Fiumicino, with strong growth compared with the previous year, will be able to exceed 20 million passengers.

This trend could be negatively influenced by the conflict in Ukraine, the impacts of which on traffic volumes, however, are not yet foreseeable either in terms of duration or intensity.

In this context, the Group continues to work on its objectives also with the aim of accelerating the rapid resumption of activities.

The completion of the approval process for updating the development plan and the definitive establishment of the post-crisis regulatory system, however, are the essential determinants of guaranteeing stability and future growth.

Aeroporti di Roma, an Atlantia Group company, manages and develops the airports of Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino and carries out other activities associated with and supplementary to airport management. Fiumicino has two passenger terminals and is dedicated to business and leisure customers on national, international and intercontinental routes; Ciampino is mainly used by low-cost airlines, express couriers and General Aviation activities. In 2019, ADR recorded, as an airport system, 49.4 million passengers with over 240 destinations worldwide that can be reached from Rome, thanks to the approximately 100 airlines operating in the two airports (In 2021, following the impact of Covid-19 on air transport, Fiumicino airport recorded just 11.7 million passengers, whilst Ciampino airport closed the year with 2.3 million passengers). In 2020 the Airports Council International Europe awarded Leonardo da Vinci the "Best Airport Award 2020". For the third consecutive year, Leonardo da Vinci confirmed it reached first place out of all European hubs with over 40 million passengers. The award adds to the recognition from Airports Council International World, which in 2021, for the fourth consecutive year, awarded Leonardo da Vinci the "Airport Service Quality 2020” award for being the most appreciated airport in Europe among hubs with more than 40 million passengers. ADR's management expertise is also confirmed by the awards received in 2019 by Skytrax, the main international rating and assessment company in the airport sector, which confirmed the 4 Skytrax stars obtained by Fiumicino in 2017. Also in the area of digital innovation, the main driver of ADR's strategy, important recognition was recieved. During 2021, as part of the ACI Europe Best Airport Awards, Fiumicino airport was awarded the ''Digital Transformation Award''. Finally, with reference to the measures implemented to protect health, the hubs have distinguished themselves by winning numerous awards: ''Airport Health Accreditation'' for the years 2020 and 2021, ''Airport Health Measures Audit'' in 2020 that certified the Safeguard airports, ''Biosafety Trust Certification'' from RINA in 2020 as a result of a careful investigation on the containment measures adopted for all forms of possible contagion and ''Covid-19 Skytrax Airport Rating 2020'' which awarded the Leonardo da Vinci 5 stars overall based on the efficiency of the procedures and the results of the ATP tests.