ITALY. On 12 February, Aeroporti di Roma introduced its revamped graphic identity as part of the company’s 50th anniversary celebrations at Rome Fiumicino Airport.
The airport management company’s new tagline ‘Together, beyond flying’ highlights its focus on people, while the logo visually reaches upwards. This symbolises Aeroporti di Roma’s commitment to shaping the ‘airport of the future’.
This strategy encompasses creating a space that is attentive to the wellbeing of all – where development is combined with sustainability, innovation, quality, arts and culture to maintain and improve services offered to passengers.
Following a video on the history and future of Rome airports, the event opened with introductory remarks by Mayor of Fiumicino Mario Baccini; Public Administration Minister Paolo Zangrillo; Aeroporti di Roma Chairman Vincenzo Nunziata; Mundys Chairman Giampiero Massolo; Ente Nazionale Assistenza al Volo (ENAV) Chairwoman Alessandra Bruni; and ITA Airways Chairman Antonio Turicchi.
Journalist Manuela Moreno then moderated discussions between Ciampino Mayor Emanuela Colella; Rome Councillor for Major Events, Sport, Tourism & Fashion Alessandro Onorato; Regione Lazio Vice President Roberta Angelilli; Lazio Regional Council President Antonio Aurigemma; Aeroporti di Roma CEO Marco Troncone; Aeroporti di Roma’s Ludovica Donzelli and Stefania Del Pizzo; Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile (ENAC) Chairman Pierluigi Di Palma; and Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security Undersecretary Claudio Barbaro.
The event also included a performance by Compagnia del Teatro Patologico, which staged an extract from Commedia Divina, followed by a video address by Pontifical Council for Culture President Emeritus Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi.
Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi concluded the ceremony and – together with Aeroporti di Roma’s senior management, in live connection with journalist Federica Gentile from Rome Fiumicino Airport Terminal 1 – unveiled three stained-glass windows attributed to Giotto.
The pieces, originally from the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, are on loan from the Ministry of the Interior’s Fondo Edifici di Culto. The windows can now be admired by passengers in the Piazza in Terminal 1.
Nunziata commented: “Today, we celebrate half a century of company history. In these 50 years of operations, the company has been able to accompany the epochal changes that have marked the country’s history – adapting to ongoing social and cultural changes, and sometimes even anticipating major global changes.
“By developing the capital’s airports, the company was able to take Rome back to its rightful place – giving it back its centrality and prominence, making it an intercontinental hub for air transport, connecting it to the rest of Italy and the world.
“It is in this spirit that we will face the coming years, reaffirming our commitment to achieving new goals, innovating and working with and for our territory – supporting future generations, aware of our responsibility towards society and our airport community.”
Massolo said: “Aeroporti di Roma is one of the spearheads of our group in terms of efficiency, innovation and sustainability. As major shareholders in Aeroporti di Roma, we are proud to have contributed to the transformation of Fiumicino into one of the best airports in the world.
“Our challenge now is to look at the future with the determination to support Aeroporti di Roma in the implementation of its new Sustainable Development Plan.
“We want to work with the government, the authorities and all relevant institutions to achieve a major systemic operation that will bring prosperity to the entire national economic system.
“Meanwhile, we would like to extend our best wishes and congratulations to all the employees of Aeroporti di Roma on this splendid 50th anniversary.”
Troncone remarked: “Aeroporti di Roma is celebrating its first 50 years of management with optimism and determination, in particular with regard to the key challenges for the future of air transport.
“Both industrial and institutional players will have to focus on the environmental transition, the competitiveness of our national transport system and investments needed to support growth.
“Connectivity means social and economic progress, the promotion of culture, the export of made in Italy products and of our ‘know-how’.
“Through our integrated sustainable development strategy, thanks to all our people, we will continue to work as allies of our institutions to lead Italy towards future international ventures and opportunities, representing an added value for our citizens and our local territories.”
From infrastructure to innovation
Recent years have been marked by the company’s commitment to improving the quality of its services, as well as by the drive for innovation, sustainable development and digitalisation.
Rome Fiumicino Airport milestones include the opening of international boarding area E in 2016. It is an architectural gem entirely made in Italy.
The opening of boarding area A, with 23 gates, marked the first major infrastructure built in Italy after the pandemic. It was inaugurated in the presence of Italian Republic President Sergio Mattarella.
Other key openings include a 6,000sq m shopping area with 21 shops that showcase Italian brands and gastronomy; as well as the completion of the former National Pier (gates A31-59).
The completion of the new Piazza, part of the wider Terminal 1 project, will support the passenger traffic expected for upcoming international events including the 2025 jubilee.
The unveiling of gates in the former boarding area C was completed last summer; while the shopping area was completed in autumn. This increased the offerings at Fiumicino Airport to 30,000sq m of shopping, dining and commercial services.
Rome Fiumicino Airport’s Innovation Hub in Terminal 1 celebrated one year of operation in October 2023. It has welcomed 50+ start-ups from around the world to implement new solutions with Aeroporti di Roma in the following areas: predictive maintenance, airside operations, terminal processes, sustainability, customer experience, digitalisation of the commercial offer and disruptive solutions.
Aeroporti di Roma Ventures, a corporate venture capital company, made its first investments in the start-ups Ottonomy and Assaia, as well as the launch of UrbanV. The first eVTOL flights between the airport and the city of Rome are scheduled for the Jubilee year, taking Fiumicino Airport into the future of urban air mobility.
In terms of sustainability, Fiumicino and Ciampino airports were again awarded in 2023 with the Airport Carbon Accreditation 4+ ‘Transition’ certification by ACI Europe for the reduction of direct and indirect CO2 emissions.
This is in addition to the company’s commitment to progressively reducing the environmental footprint of its airports. It aims to achieve net-zero emissions in 2030, 20 years ahead compared to the European target for the airport sector.
Rome Fiumicino Airport is the first and only Italian airport to have obtained Skytrax 5-star rating. It has been named Best Airport in Europe for quality (in the category of more than 40 million passengers) in the last six years.
‘Art knows no boundaries’
Arts and culture are the great protagonists in this journey: today the ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ airport is considered an ‘extended museum’ that highlights multi-form Italian cultural and artistic heritage.
The works of art unveiled during today’s ceremony stand testament: the three stained-glass windows attributed to Giotto, on public display for the first time today, depict the prophet Aaron (priest par excellence of the Old Testament) and two deacons.
Owned by Fondo Edifici di Culto – an organisation that ensures the protection, enhancement, conservation and restoration of Italy’s artistic heritage – these pieces constituted the upper part of a stained-glass window dating back to around 1310.
These were originally at the end of the right aisle inside the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. Thanks to their new location at Pier A in Terminal 1, over the coming months the pieces will be admired by millions of departing and transiting domestic, European and intercontinental passengers.
Another key highlight from the event was the performance by Associazione Teatro Patologico Onlus, a theatre company that has been bringing actors and actresses with intellectual disabilities to the stage for over 30 years.
The Commedia Divina performance is a work by Dario D’Ambrosi, director and artistic founder of Teatro Patologico. It is inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, stemming from the idea of approaching the inner experience of the supreme poet to understand, beyond the ‘veil’ of words, his most intimate and spiritual message.
The company’s message through this showcase was one of inclusion: “Art knows no boundaries and it can unite seemingly distant worlds and create an authentic connection between individuals.” ✈
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