These are the main areas of Aeroporti di Roma’s commitment to Sustainability, which have led “Leonardo da Vinci” to be one of the “greenest” airports in the world. The implemented programmes were described today during a conference in Fiumicino with representatives of the government, institutions and local communities in historic Terminal 5, once dedicated to flights to and from the United States and now a symbolic place for social sustainability as well as strategic centre for safety, prevention, hospitality and solidarity. In fact, Terminal 5 was the scene of the extraordinary humanitarian campaign that allowed the Italian government to manage the reception of approximately 5,000 people from Kabul in complete safety, thanks to a task force coordinated by the Ministry of Defence and made up of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign, Interior and Health Affairs. The contribution of ENAC (National School of Civil Aviation), the border police and the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza and the Customs and Monopolies Agency, as well as the contribution of the Civil Protection Department, the Regions, the Italian Red Cross and numerous non-profit associations.

“Sustainability”, said the CEO of ADR, Marco Troncone, “is one of the key drivers for the development of our strategy, which is fully integrated into the Group’s business. We are strengthening our commitment, also recognised internationally, to transform mobility in Italy by anticipating the challenges of the future.. With this in mind, we have embarked on a path to zero CO2 emissions by 2030, 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. We are now strongly committed to ensuring environmentally-sustainable fuels for carriers in the coming months, also, in this case, ahead of schedule internationally. Over the next few years our challenge will be to continue to implement innovative, sustainable and truly effective solutions, catalysing the contribution of the best Italian excellence in a systemic logic, for the benefit of our territory and the country”.

ADR’s concept of sustainability, as the leading Italian airport and and best airport in Europe in the last three years, is a 360-degree vision and its objectives range from environmental protection to social protection,

even to the enhancement of local communities to make “Leonardo da Vinci” an increasingly sustainable, innovative and inclusive airport, in constant dialogue with the needs of the Territory and its Community.

Circular economy.

The main topics concern the recovery of waste and the reduction of its production; the optimisation of construction site activities through the reuse of materials; saving on water consumption at the airport. Fiumicino airport can boast a separate collection of waste produced which last year amounted to 97%. This is triple the value of 2012 and a value few other hubs can boast of. Furthermore, part of the unsorted waste at the airport is transferred to a plant which, by means of essentially mechanical separation processes, ensures 98% of its recovery for the production of Second Solid Fuel used in production activities as an alternative to fossil fuels. The natural evolution of this process passes through the reuse of waste, precisely with a view to circular economy. In fact, a composting plant for organic waste has recently been built which allows for the amount of waste produced at the airport to be reduced by approximately 1,000 tonnes per year, creating a very high quality compost, consistent with the standards set for organic farming. The management of the construction sites for the development of the airport also operates with a circular management method: over 150,000 tonnes of demolition materials have been reused and ADR systematically uses the most advanced international protocols, LEED and BREEM, for the design, construction and management of infrastructure. In the last 10 years, water consumption at the airport has been reduced by 30%, thanks to the presence of a purification plant that allows for the treatment and reuse of water and a drinking and industrial distribution network. Thanks to this system, every year, approximately 60% of Fiumicino airport’s water consumption (equal to 1.2 million cubic metres) is ensured through the reuse of industrial water. In this circular vision, the recovery of plastic could not be excluded. In fact, thanks partly to the collaboration with operators, the plastic produced at the airport was reduced by 50%. Furthermore, within the terminals, there are 32 bottle compactors that produce the yarn intended for the packaging of workwear, such as high visibility vests.

Territory and Community.

In order to contribute to the well-being of the territory and to support citizens, ADR has, for years, launched a plan on various fronts: from reclamation and redevelopment projects, to the development of a smart, safe and sustainable road system to serve the airport and the community of Fiumicino, from constant collaboration with local institutions and schools to jointly conceive specific actions and make a difference, to its commitment in the fight against climate change. The Pesce Luna beach in Focene has been reclaimed and returned to the local community and there is a project to create a new cycle path that will connect the airport with the network of cycle paths currently serving the town of Fiumicino. Various interventions were also carried out, which will be followed by others, on the main intersections present in the airport and local roads, aimed at improving and decongesting traffic.

Fight against Climate Change.

Fiumicino airport, the first airport in Europe to have obtained the highest certification Airport Carbon Accreditation 4+ “Transition” from ACI Europe, on the reduction of CO2, was one of the first hubs in the world to adopt the Net Zero 2030 resolution (zero net carbon dioxide emissions), focusing on projects for the construction of multi-MW photovoltaic plants and low-carbon transport infrastructures, investing in electric charging stations and enhancing electric car sharing, as well as promoting the use of SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) capable of reducing emissions by 60-80%. ADR also won a European Union Innovation Fund project, together with Enel X, dedicated to the construction of the largest European 10 MWh electricity storage system, consisting of recycled batteries from the automotive sector. The system will accumulate the excess energy produced by a 30 MW solar photovoltaic system.

Green finance.

ADR continues the alignment process between the financing strategy and sustainability objectives to direct financial resources towards an economy with a lower environmental impact. In 2020, ADR successfully issued the first €300 million “green bond”, with requests for more than 12 times the offer. The net proceeds from the issue will be used to finance and refinance projects for the construction of multi-MW photovoltaic plants at the airport and on low-carbon transport infrastructures. ADR was also the first airport in the world to complete the placement of a €500 million Sustainability-Linked Bond. This is an innovative and challenging green financing tool that directly links the cost of debt to the sustainability results actually achieved. The issue received requests over 5 times the offer, with orders totalling approximately €2.7 billion.

Art at the airport.

Aeroporti di Roma is working on a cultural, artistic and informative programme that aims to combine social sustainability and innovation for the benefit of passengers.  ADR has chosen to celebrate its relaunch following the pandemic with a monumental work of street art on the outer wall of Terminal 1, relying on the contemporary and innovative style of TV BOY, which intended to depict Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa in summer clothes, ready to take flight, with trolley and mask at hand, to represent the desire for freedom, for travel. In addition, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, Aeroporti di Roma launched a competition for the creation of works of contemporary art inspired by Leonardo’s theme of travel. The six winning sculptures are exhibited in Terminal 3. Furthermore, thanks to the consolidated partnership between Aeroporti di Roma and the Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica, an exhibition path has been created in Boarding Area E, in which six works from the Roman period, five sculptures and a splendid mosaic can be admired, all from from the excavations of Ostia Antica and the necropolis of Isola Sacra, dedicated to time. To make Fiumicino airport an increasingly vibrant and welcoming place, ADR, in partnership with the Academy of Arts and New Technologies, winner of the tender, created the images of the new LED wall in the renovated check-in hall of Terminal 1 , creating the multimedia campaign “Italian History/Italian Stories”. The images of the LED wall, made up of 14 modules for a total area of 600m²,

tell, in an original manner and with visual suggestions, the uniqueness of the way of connecting, interpreting and experiencing Italy’s places, monuments and excellences.