Ciampino–G. B. Pastine International Airport


Rome—Ciampino International Airport "G. B. Pastine" , is the secondary international airport of Rome, the capital of Italy, after Rome-Fiumicino Airport "Leonardo da Vinci". It is a joint civilian, commercial and military airport situated south southeast of central Rome, just outside the Greater Ring Road the circular motorway around the city.
The airport is an important hub for many low-cost carriers and general aviation traffic. It also hosts a military airport and the headquarters of the 31º Stormo and the 2nd Reparto Genio of the Italian Air Force.
The airport is named after Giovan Battista Pastine, an Italian airship pilot who served in World War I.

History

Ciampino Airport was opened in 1916 and is one of the oldest airports still in operation.
From here, on 10 April 1926, Umberto Nobile took off on the airship Norge, the first aircraft to reach the North Pole and the first to fly across the polar ice cap from Europe to America. In October 1930, the first helicopter prototype designed by Corradino D'Ascanio was tested at Ciampino Airport, reaching a record altitude of 18 m, 8m45s duration and 1,078 m distance flown.
During World War II, the airport was captured by Allied forces in June 1944, and afterward became a United States Army Air Forces military airfield. Although primarily used as a transport base by C-47 Skytrain aircraft of the 64th Troop Carrier Group, the Twelfth Air Force 86th Bombardment Group flew A-36 Apache combat aircraft from the airport during the immediate period after its capture from German forces.
When the combat units moved out, Air Transport Command used the airport as a major transshipment hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel for the remainder of the war.
It was Rome's main airport until 1960, with traffic amounting to over 2 million passengers per year. After the opening of Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Ciampino handled almost exclusively charter and executive flights for more than three decades. However, the terminal facilities were extended at the beginning of 2007 to accommodate the growing number of low-cost carrier operations.

Facilities

Passenger terminal

The airport features a single, one-storey passenger terminal building containing the departures and arrivals facilities. The departures area consists of a main hall with some stores and service facilities as well as 31 check-in counters and 16 departure gates using walk or bus boarding as there are no jet-bridges. The arrivals area has a separate entrance and features four baggage belts as well as some more service counters.
Arrival and departure terminal are both closed from 0:00 AM until 4:00 AM and the passengers must leave the terminals. There are no facilities outside the terminals for passengers during these hours.

Other usage

The airport hosts a fleet of Bombardier 415 aerial firefighting aircraft. It is also used by express logistics companies such as DHL, by official flights of the Italian Government and by planes of dignitaries visiting the Italian capital. There is also an additional smaller general aviation terminal, although private flights have now mainly been transferred to Rome Urbe Airport.

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights to and from Ciampino Airport:

Statistics

After decades of stagnation in scheduled traffic, low-cost carriers have boosted Ciampino; it is now one of the busiest and fastest growing airports in Italy. Passenger traffic in 2007 was 5,402,000. Traffic has grown so much that noise complaints are now forcing the Italian Ministry of Transport to look for a third airport for Rome, which could take over some part of the excess traffic of Ciampino. Passenger traffic in 2008 was 4,788,931 with a decrease of 11.31% compared to 2007 due to economic crisis and EasyJet gradually moving routes to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport. In 2014, passenger traffic amounted to 5,018,289, and in 2015 the airport handled 5,834,201 passengers.

Ground transportation

Taxi

Taxis licensed by the City of Rome have a fixed tariff for the single journey between Ciampino Airport and the area of the City of Rome within the Aurelian Walls. The current tariff is 30 euros.

Train

While there is no train service at the airport itself, there are a variety of bus connections between the airport and stations of the Italian mainline railway network or stations of the Rome city metro system. The different bus or bus + train options are relatively inexpensive, usually under 6 euros for a single journey.

ATAC city bus services

The ATAC Rome city bus line 720 connects the terminal building with the Laurentina metro station.
The ATAC Rome city bus line 520 connects the terminal building with the Cinecittà metro station.
Both these routes are included in the normal ticket arrangements current for city public transport in Rome, where one Metro train journey costs a single BIT ticket, while a single journey on either of the named ATAC bus lines between Ciampino airport and one of the named Rome Metro stations also costs a single BIT ticket. This means that it is possible to travel between any station in the Rome metro system and Ciampino airport for a total cost of 3 euros. Obviously, residents can also use personalized subscription passes. The BIT tickets need to be purchased before boarding the bus and time-stamped by one of the ticket machines inside the bus. The ATAC bus stop for these services is located 2–3 minutes walk from the main airport buildings.

ATRAL bus services

There are ATRAL bus services connecting the airport to the Anagnina metro. The bus to the Ciampino railway station leaves the airport on weekdays between 5.46 am and 11.20 pm at intervals of between 5 and 55 minutes, with a journey time of 10 minutes. The bus to the Anagnina metro station leaves the airport on weekdays between 6.15 am and 10.40 pm at intervals of between 26 and 75 minutes, with a journey time of 20 minutes. Festive day timetables are partly reduced.

Direct Bus Services to Central Rome

Bus operators Schiaffini, Terravision and BusShuttle

The Rome Airport Bus service of the Schiaffini company has services to and from Ciampino airport, the town of Ciampino and the central Roma Termini mainline railway station. Tickets can be purchased at the company's sales point in the Ciampino airport building, on board the bus, or online, or at the bus stop in Via Giolitti, Rome.
A similar service is operated by Terravision Tickets can be purchased online, also by BusShuttle Tickets can be purchased online.

Transport between Ciampino and Fiumicino Airports

There are only two ways, other than by private car, of travelling between the two airports. One is to take a taxi, which has a fixed tariff. The other is to travel to Rome's Termini station and from there to travel out to the required airport.

Foot

The Appian Way can be reached on foot in 10 minutes from the terminal building. This ancient Roman road is a popular walking route. 11 km north-west along this road one reaches the start of the road at the Porta San Sebastiano, 3 km south-east along this road one reaches the train station of Santa Maria delle Mole.

Accidents and incidents