Vinci Fiumicino Airport

Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport - Terrorist Target No More

Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport used to be the site and point of origin of many terrorist activities in the past (ranging from aircraft hijackings, to bombing of one airplane while in flight, to actual invasions by gun-toting terrorists which resulted in many casualties).These terrorist activities, which were attributed to the Israeli - Palestinian conflict in the Middle East, used to be prevalent from the 1960s to the 1980s. Fortunately, there have been no recent incidents since then that would lead us to think that flying to or departing from Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport would make one fear for one's life.

One airport, two names

Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport is also known as the Rome- Fiumicino International Airport (so don't get confused yourself if people use one name or the other.) They both refer to the biggest airport in Italy, which is located 34 kilometers away from the center of Rome in the Fiumicino area. Since it was able to provide airport services to more than 30 million passengers in 2006, it is presently considered the second- biggest international air travel gateway for the country. The Italian airline Alitalia maintains one of its main hubs in the airport, being flag carrier for the country.

Problems afflicting the airport

Aside from having to rev up its PR machine to counter the historical assumption that the airport is a terrorist hotbed, a more recent problem cropped up in 2006 that poses questions whether Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport can manage luggage handling for carriers in the future. In that year, the airport acted upon the orders of the Civilian Aviation Authority of Italy and eliminated its policy of maintaining 3 ramp handlers within the airport. As for its security needs, Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport has assigned the Aeroporti di Roma to handle its Airport Security system which safeguards not just the airport but the airlines that serve it as well. Hopefully, despite the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians, no further terrorist acts can be carried out against the airport and its airlines.

Transportation services

If you were to disembark at Rome Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport, you are lucky (or well-connected) if you have someone picking you up in a private vehicle from there. If not, you may be able to hail a cab to take you to the center of Rome itself. So long as your destination falls somewhere inside the Aurelian Walls, your cab driver is legally required to charge you a flat rate of 40 euros.

It is possible to catch a ride on the Leonardo Express train from the airport terminal itself. The train, which is run by Trenitalia, can take you to Rome's Termini Station within 30 minutes if you use the non-stop Express line which departs from the airport terminal twice every hour. Otherwise, you will have to ride the Leonardo Local which stops once at Roma Trastevere station near the Vatican. The entire trip on this train will consume 40 minutes. Regional trains which depart from the airport every 15-minute interval can deposit you at any of the stops between the airport and the center of Rome itself.

Comments (0) Add Comment