European Air Traffic

On some days of the year, air traffic in Europe can be particularly congested. In these cases, the European Air Traffic Control Centre, managed by Eurocontrol, intervenes by postponing the departure time of airplanes when they are still standing at the parking position.

Although maximum priority is always dedicated to the safe and orderly execution of flights in our skies, inevitably the flow regulation made by the network manager translates into departing delays connected to the following main cases:

• Limitations on the simultaneous number of flights to be managed within a sector of airspace or along a single flight route ("Air Traffic Control Capacity & En-Route Capacity");

• Temporary use of an area of ​​airspace for non-compatible activities with the transit of commercial flights ("Airspace Management");

• Availability of a sufficient number of Air Traffic Controllers in service ("Air Traffic Control Staffing");

• Adverse weather conditions on specific portions of airspace and/or on flight areas adjacent to the destination or origin airports ("En-Route & Aerodrome Adverse Weather Conditions").

In these days, the limitations affect also the normal operation of the Fiumicino and Ciampino airports. As a result, flights departing from the airports of the Italian Capital, even if on time because all ground operations have been completed, may have to wait several minutes to have a departure "slot" from the European air traffic manager. This clearly depends on the situation of the route and the destination airport of the flight subject to delay.

To reduce the impacts of these external phenomena, Aeroporti di Roma adopts every possible measure aimed at optimizing the ground operations according to the delays expected at the network level. Its status is continuously monitored and the management of the infrastructures and systems of the two airports is constantly adapted to the developments in progress in order to minimize delays on flights departing from the Roman airports.

Aeroporti di Roma collaborates at the forefront with Eurocontrol, ENAV and all the relevant Bodies to face better the most intense summer traffic days and to manage effectly a more efficient use of the European skies.