Rome airport to face partial closure from Saturday

onnaedo

June 11, 2015 6:55 PM

The partial closure comes just before the start of the summer holiday over concerns of overcrowding after the airport suffered a fire last month.

If Italy is on your travel route - Rome specifically, you may want to consider rerouting as Rome's Fiumicino airport, Italy's busiest air traffic hub, will cut operations to 60% capacity from Saturday.

The partial closure comes just before the start of the summer holiday, over security risk from overcrowding after the airport suffered a fire last month.

Air transport authority, Enac, said the cut in capacity, which will lead to the gradual shutdown of arrivals at Terminal 3, would begin at midnight (2200 GMT) on Friday.

There was however no indication on how long it was expected to last.

Prosecutors investigating the May 7 blaze have closed part of the airport, which has been operating at 80% capacity since the fire.

Airport operator Aeroporti di Roma, part of motorways group Atlantia SpA, initially asked authorities last month for approval for the reduction because of health concerns about lingering air pollution from chemicals released in the fire.

Meanwhile Italy's national carrier Alitalia said it would concentrate check-in operations in Terminal 1, while Air France-KLM said it expected to reduce services from Rome.

onnaedo