Today, at Leonardo da Vinci airport, the new international boarding area, “E”, dedicated for Extra-Schengen flights, has been inaugurated. Attending the event, led by CEO of Atlantia group Giovanni Castellucci and CEO of Aeroporti di Roma Ugo de Carolis, was Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Graziano Delrio, President of the Lazio Region Nicola Zingaretti, Mayor of Fiumicino, Esterino Montino, President of Enac [the Italian Civil Aviation Authority] Vito Riggio.

The new area, measuring approximately 90,000 square meters, was completed on schedule, thus exploiting the airport grounds with maximum efficiency and without additional land consumption. The infrastructure is state-of-the-art in the European Union and will accommodate over 6 million extra passengers per year. With a total of 22 new gates, the airport’s boarding capacity to Extra-Schengen destinations will effectively double. The investment amounts to €390 million.

The project consists of two large structures, directly linked to each other: an innovative Pier dedicated to flights, with innovative boarding and disembarking exits, capable of allowing for the taxiing of the largest aircraft available on the market. An exclusive shopping gallery, a sort of Made in Italy Square, one of the largest created in a European hub, with a unique offering in the fashion-luxury sector (40 outlets with the best Italian and international brands) and as many as 10 high quality and well-diversified restaurants.

To give an idea of the size of Boarding Area E, the entire internal floor amounts to 132,000 square meters, the equivalent of 20 football pitches. The surface area of glass windows would fill 48 Olympic swimming pools, while the steel used for construction amounts to 4.5 times the weight of the Eiffel Tower.

The boarding and disembarking pier

Over 90 Extra-Schengen destinations can be reached from the new infrastructure, with a total of over 13 million passengers, both departing and arriving. The Pier is equipped with 14 gates (which, together with the 8 new gates created on the ground floor of the shopping mall, comprise a total of 22 gates) and another 14 aircraft parking positions, of which seven for wide body aircraft, all served by a jet bridge for the boarding and disembarkation of passengers. Some positions are equipped with piers on two levels, which will serve both levels at the same time - the main and upper deck - of the large aircraft available on the market. It is from here that, as early as tonight, the passengers of Alitalia-Etihad, of the Sky Team companies and other companies operating from Fiumicino will depart for the many long and short haul Extra-Schengen destinations. On the basement level of the Pier, two innovative baggage handling systems will be in operation for departure and in transit - i.e. the HBS (Hold Baggage Screening) and BHS (Baggage Handling System) - that serve the entire area.

The operability of the Pier will begin this afternoon: the first flight will depart at 5:30 pm, for Tehran. The first landing, however, will arrive at 5.55 pm, with a flight from London

The Piazza del Made in Italy (Airport Mall)

The new 10,000 square-metre building, directly linked to the Pier, is the place where passengers, mostly foreign, will be able to spend quality time and make use of the facilities and services until a few minutes before boarding.

The “Piazza del Made in Italy”, divided over three floors, accommodates the most prestigious international luxury and fashion brands, with the top current commercial lines and trends, in 40 new stores. To satisfy travellers’ palates, the shopping gallery also offers 10 new restaurants, with a rich variety of food and wine products and pairings for all tastes, from excellent Italian products prepared, among others, by Michelin-starred chef Heinz Beck. The food on offer is highly distinguished and ranges from Asian menus to gourmet burgers, to naturally meet the needs of an international target market.

Completing the infrastructure, on the ground level, are 8 new boarding gates.

The architectural sign and the “green” mark of boarding area E

The architectural concept of the ’area, created by the internal skills of Atlantia Group, by means of the most advanced building technologies and best environmental protection standards, was developed with reference to the historic and artistic heritage of the city of Rome. The classic shapes, combined with the transparency and maximum use of natural light, give passengers the impression of finding themselves at the centre of the slopes. A giant glass “bubble”, surrounded by a large glass window running along the entire window, provide a perfect view of the outside and of the sky.

Specific attention was paid to the systems and raw materials, in optic green, with climate adjustment systems through floor heating panels, allowing for a substantial reduction in energy consumption, partly through automatically detecting crowded areas. Energy containment needs also apply to the choice of materials used for the buildings. Specifically, the large transparent surface areas of the Pier and the Mall were created with “double chamber” glass windows, capable of ensuring the highest thermal and insulating power and shielding the sunlight that will naturally illuminate the inside of the infrastructure. All artificial lighting was created with innovative LED systems (over 16,000 lamps). A real “starry sky” was created on the vaults of the ceiling.
 

The new façade of Terminal 3

Again, in accordance with environmental integration logic, today the façade of Terminal 3 was also inaugurated. A piece of work, made entirely of glass, worth €10 million, created by a project inspired by the original design of the architect Morandi in the ‘60s, enhanced once again with the latest technology.