FCO-Spot1
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November 9, 2014Rome Fiumicino Airport – Spotting Guide
- last modified on October 17, 2024
Rome Fiumicino Airport is the largest of the airports servicing Rome (the notable other being Ciampino, which handles only low-cost traffic) and the main hub for Italian carrier ITA. The airport handled 29 million passengers in 2022.
By far the strongest airline in Fiumicino is ITA Airways. Other carriers with a hub at the airport are Wizzair, Ryanair, and Vueling. Other traffic you will see, are of course the well known Northamerican carriers like Delta, American, United and Air Canada, but you can also see Air Transat. From Asia Rome has connections provided by China Eastern, Air China, China Airlines, Asiana, Korean Air, Cathay Pacific, Kuwait Airways and many more. The variety of airlines is tremendous and almost all major carriers serving FCO. If you are looking for cargo, you will be disappointed though. There are almost no cargo flights to FCO during the day. Other than that the main traffic peak for long haul flights is (like most European airports) in the morning until noon.
Written by Julian Mittnacht, Jan Seba, Clive Grant, Severin Hackenberger and Björn Van Brussel. Last Update: August 2024 – Spots 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 16, 17 checked and updated
| Rating | |
| Movements |  |
| Airline Variety |  |
| Photo Locations | |
| Weather | |
| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 16R/34L | 3.900 m (12.795 ft) |
| 16L/34R | 3.900 m (12.795 ft) |
| 07/25 | 3.300 m (11.811 ft) |
| Terminals | |
| Terminal 1 | Schengen flights |
| Terminal 3 | Non-Schengen flights |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Not required at any location and don`t even think about to use one. Sensors are installed in the perimeter fence so don`t even touch it. |
| Car/Public Transport | Car is absoluetley necessary for getting around the airport as the locations are pretty far from villages and hotels and you occasionally have to switch runways as well. No infos about public transport. |
| Drinks/Food | There are plenty of gas stations, cafés and supermarkets around the airport. |
| Hotels | There are several good hotels in Fiumicino itself and also in Focene, which is very close and in walking distance to most of the spots of the western runway (and the beach where you can relax at noon). |
| Season | As Rome Fiumicino has runways in a North-South direction the airport is best visited in summer as the days are longest and you can start early in the morning. The high sun altitude around noon is not really a problem as thats the time when the sun is on the runway anyway. May to August also has the best weather over the year and there is a lot of additional traffic during the summer holidays! Expect less traffic during the winter months! |
| Security | Don’t place yourself directly at the fence anywhere around the airport, and don’t take pictures through the mesh. There are sensor installed and airport security will check you immediately. |
| Runway Usage | |
| General Info | The two north/south runways are the major arrivals ones, splitted into Schengen and Non-Schengen flights. Of course there are exceptions but when the airport is busy (summer season) this rules applies most of the time. Only if there is a major departure wave on RWY25, 16L/34R is the preferred arrival runway as this one does not block the departures and ALL arrivals, even non-schengen, will use this one. If you are interested in a particular Highlights, there is only the possibility to listen to ATC to be absolutely sure. |
| 16R/34L | Not much in use as it crosses the major departure runway 25. Mainly arrivals by Non-Schengen flights so a lot of heavies using this runway in the morning and evening. Also used for widebody aircraft departures. There are not much single aisles take offs on this runway. Expect no arrivals here during departure waves on 07/25, especially between 10-11 in the morning. |
| 16L/34R | Major runway for almost all arrivals in both directions. Not known to be used for departures. All Schengen flights use this runway and even non-schengen flights, especially during departure waves on 07/25,. |
| 07/25 | 90 percent of the flights departure on this runway (used only in 25 direction, exclusively for departures), even heavily loaded planes like Aerolineas or US carriers depart here. |
Viale di Lago Traiano - 34L Arrivals + 16R Departures
| WHERE | The first location is close to the terminal and very easy to find: from the airport just take one of the first exits and do head onto the Viale di Lago Traiano – there you’ll see a large turnout area north of the street. You can park right here and shoot arrivals nicely from here – for departures we recommend to walk some steps back and cross the channel to get to the southern option presented below where you are bit farer away from the runway which is better for departures. |
| WHAT | Good for 34L arrivals and 16R departures. |
| TIME | Sunrise till early noon roughly. |
| MISC. | At noon you will often find a Panini vendor here where you can grab a quick snack. Otherwise Fiumicino is also quite close. Nothing else needed |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-300mm Arrivals: B772 = 100mm / B738 = 165mm Departures: B748 = 160mm / A339 = 220mm |
Arrivals – northern option:
Departures – southern option:
Farmer Market - 34L Arrivals Afternoon
| WHERE | Coming from the large roundabout head north on the Viale Coccia di Morto and exit at the first left onto a small gravel road. Drive it for about 150m so that you are at the end of the field to your left. You can park directly on the side of the gravel road and shoot from there or the nearby parking lot which is used as a farmer market on weekends. |
| WHAT | Best location for 34L arrivals in the evening. You can vary your location here on this side road, but we recommend to to the end for the best angle. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 15:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing nearby, so take what you need with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 105mm for a B772 and 160mm for an A321. |
Viale Coccia di Morto - 16R Departures Afternoon
| WHERE | There are two options along the Viale Coccia di Morto where you can stay for the 16R departures in the afternoon. The first option is spot 3A at the Via del Pesce Luna. Just turn in there and park before a gate to an abandoned building. You can stay there or walk to the main road. Option 3B is a bit further southwards, next to the entrance of a road construction site, which seems to be abandoned as of July 2024. The best position totally depends on factors like the temperature, wind and aircraft weight. |
| WHAT | From the afternoon you can capture here heavy departures from ITA, North American carriers and so on. BUT there are also parallel heavy departures on 25 and there is no system which wide body aircraft use which runway. Even with similar destinations on aircraft use 25 whilst the other departures on 16R. At least the A380 always use this one and not 25. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 15:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | The Agip gas station is just to your south. You can use it to buy supplies, but the heavies will be too high to shoot there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 90mm for a B772 and 75mm for an A380. |
Spot 3A
Spot 3B
Vintage Café- All RWY 16R/34L Movements Afternoon & 25 Departures Late Afternoon
| WHERE | When driving to the North of the airport or to Focene the Café is the first building on your left. There are enough parking space. Now you have several options. 4A: first one is a terrace on the roof of the café. There is a stair on the right side of the building. You have to ask within the cafe for access to the rooftop. From the top you have a limited sight on the runway. 4B: in the case it is closed, you can stay on a bridge over the small channel, just across the road. The position on the bridge is elevated. You have almost a unobstructed sight on the runway, only for heavies you will have parts of the fence within the pic. 4C: follow the bicycle lane that runs right next to the perimeter fence. From there you can watch the 25 departures. |
| WHAT | From spot 4A and 4B you can photograph all movements on runway 16R/34L. From the café and the bridge the view on the runway is very limited due to light poles and small mound to the left. 4A is best for 34L departures. But keep in mind this one is not that frequent in use as the parallel runway! Just go there if you wanna catch something special. Spot 4C is a good place to spot the 25 heavy departures. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 15:00 until sunset for RWY 16R/34L movements. Be aware of heat haze in the early afternoon. 25 Departures are only good from 18:00. |
| MISC. | There is a café downstairs which offers drinks and snacks. Please order something and support the cafe! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-400mm 105mm for a B773 / 210mm for an A320 on the runway / 160mm for the B787 on the taxiway off the runway / Takeoffs on 25 are 280mm for a B738. |
Spot 4A ‘Café Terrace’
Spot 4B ‘Bridge’
Spot 4C ‘Bicycle lane’
Via delle Acque Basse - 16R Arrivals Afternoon
| WHERE | There is a big roundabout on the northern part of Viale Cocchia di Morto and with a small dirt area where you can park and shoot from. There is also a bus stop nearby allowing access by public transport. This is location 5A. If you wanna get closer follow the road for 200 meters to a small bridge over a creek. You can leave your car on the northern side of the creek either on the turnout area there or on the small side road to your left, which leads to a few houses. Then shoot from the bridge or the creek side, spot 5B. |
| WHAT | From both locations you can photograph 16R arrivals. The angle at 5A is slightly better than at 5B, but more heat distortion due to the distance. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from early afternoon until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing close to this spot. Be aware of the busy street here. No ladder needed. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | Spot 5A: 160mm for a B772 Spot 5B: 100mm for a B772 and 165mm for an A320. |
Spot 5A ‘Roundabout’
Spot 5B ‘Bridge’
Bridge - 16R Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | From the afternoon location follow the road a bit further and turn right when you see a bridge and a farm. You can park directly on the bridge, which is wide enough. You can either stay there or walk a bit further along the small river to get closer to the approach. |
| WHAT | Good in the morning for arrivals on RWY 16R for the Non-Schengen inbound wave. You can go as far as you like depending on your preference for angle and distance. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from sunrise until 11:00. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. Leave the location as it was and take all the rubbish with you. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 789 = 170mm; A20N = 300mm |
Viale dell'Olivetello - 16R arrivals
| WHERE | The location is along a small dirt road called Viale dell’Olivetello before a small settlement. Access is from the north of the airport via Viale die Porto. Just park by the roadside and step a bit into the farm road for a better sight. The advantage of this location is, that in the case of a runway change, you can quickly move over to the 16L arrival spot. That’s not possible from the other locations, more southwards. |
| WHAT | Arrivals on runway 16R only. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from sunrise until 11:00. Due to the distance heat distortion is an easy. Visit the other 16R spots in this case. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. Be aware of the dust which is caused by the nearby farmers on the dirt roads. If you are not sure which runway a flight you are out for will use, just place yourself next to spot 19 and then drive either to spot 7 or 9 for the arrival. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400mm 737/A320 = 370mm; A333 = 250mm |
Field - 16L Arrivals Afternoon
| WHERE | Follow the Viale di Porto after the small bridge and go right at the next roundabout. Follow the next road until the end and drive straight towards the runway. The road makes a left turn and after a couple more hundred meters take the first exit in the next roundabout. You will find the location directly at a line of trees perpendicular to the road. You can park your car at the entranceway to the field, but it is limited to two cars. More space is available further up at the crash gate. |
| WHAT | Location is good for arrivals on the Schengen runway in the afternoon. You’ll have the best angle somewhere close to the entranceway, but with heat haze on hot days. But in general you can move around in the field as you prefer but watch out since it’s pretty rough terrain. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 15:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. The field seems to be no longer cultivated. Trees spending shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | A21N = 170mm; A223 = 200mm |
Field - 16L Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | Starting at the aforementioned location follow the road around the approach lights to the next roundabout. Turn right into the Via Della Muratella and you are already there. Parking is available directly at this spot on a small lay by. |
| WHAT | The location should be used for arrivals on the Schengen runway 16L in the morning. You can spot anywhere on the field . |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from sunrise until 11:00. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. Trees spending shadow. The power line in front will not interrupt the view. Sometimes there are hookers at the parking, waiting for a customer… |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 789 = 70mm; A320 = 160mm |
Car parking
Farm road - 34R Arrivals Morning
| WHERE | There is a location for 34R arrivals in the morning along the Via della Corona Boreale. You can’t drive with the car to the fence (there is a barrier blocking the way), so you will have to leave it somewhere along the road and walk a few hundred meters until you reach the location. |
| WHAT | Location for arrivals on RWY 34R in the morning. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from sunrise until 11:00. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby. At least some shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | E190/A320 = 210mm |
Cargo Area Parking Lot - 34R Arrivals Evening
| WHERE | There is only one way to get to this location. First head towards the airport and always follow the signs to the Cargo Area. You will be turning quite often in the area south of the airport before getting to the cargo area, but it should always be signposted. After a couple of oneway roads you will reach the Via Mario Castoldi and turn right here. Park your car at the side of the road where often trucks are parked as well as spot from there. |
| WHAT | Arrivals location for runway 34R (Schengen). You can shoot directly from this point or head into the parking lot for a slightly better angle, but it could happen that you will be sent away from the parking lot. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 15:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 160mm for an A321 and 210mm for an E175. |
Petrol Station - 34L Movements Afternoon
| WHERE | There is a petrol station right at the level of the runway beginning and a powerbox enable you to look over the fence. You need to be quite up to the mark and fit to climb up this powerbox as it is really hight like a normal person but as long as you are tall and in good conditions it won’t usually be a problem. |
| WHAT | You can observe all runway 34L arrivals movements as well as taxiing aircraft if heat haze is not too strong. 16R departures can be seen but usually they are already too high at this point. Use spot 3 instead. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 14:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | Food is available here as well as a lavatory |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 90mm for a B772 and 75mm for an A380. |
Farm road - 16R arrivals
| WHERE | From Spot 6 just pass the farm and park right under the trees. From there on you can walk on a sandy unpaved way, next to a field. You can find yourself a spot wherever you want along the path, as long as you don’t block the passage. Almost similar to spot 6 but you will have some background in your shots when the heavies come in instead of sky like. |
| WHAT | Good in the morning for arrivals on RWY 16R for the Non-Schengen inbound wave. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from sunrise until 11:00. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. If the farmer passes by, just say “hi” and he won’t bother you. Sometimes the wild dogs from the nearby farm running around so be aware. Heat haze is a huge issue, not just in summer! Do not walk onto the fields and destroy the plants! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-300mm – 150mm for a B773, 280mm for a B789 |
Go all the way to the field in the back here…
…to get this view:
Hill - 16L arrivals
| WHERE | When coming from Spot #9, drive southbound on the Via Della Muratella for approx 500m until you see an abandoned gas station on your right. Turn right immediately after this into a small unnamed road. You will end up in front of a crashgate. Park your car on the right side on the sand and don’t block the crashgate. You can then find a sand hill where you can climb over the fence. An alternative is to use a high step ladder far from the fence. You have a small buidling in front of you, but you can shoot either before, either after it. You are standing higher then the fence so it’s not a blocking point. Compared to spot #9 you have some background in your pics. |
| WHAT | Good in the morning for arrivals on RWY 16L. Exceptionally you have a non-Schengen flight arriving here as well |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from sunrise until 11:00. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here. From spring to autumn the hill completely overgrown with 1.50 tall rapeseed plants. It is quite a struggle to get up there. Even the path there leads through knee- to waist-high vegetation. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 70-200mm – 100mm for an A333, 165mm for an A319 |
Overgrown sand hill as of may 2024
Canal - 16L arrivals touchdown zone
| WHERE | From spot #9 you drive southbound for approx 1,5km until you can turn right into the Via Della Corona Boreale. Follow this road until you pass the canal. Park your car here where it doesn’t block the others and place yourself along the canal. You can see the runway in front of you, around the touch-down zone. You are however pretty far away so this spot is only useable in wintertime or early morning, else you’ll suffer from massive heathaze. |
| WHAT | Good in the morning for arrivals on RWY 16L. Referred to as “burning point” since this is where the wheels touch the ground so you can take some nice smokey pictures. |
| TIME | In summer light is good from sunrise until 10-11:00 but due to the heat haze only useable in the early morning hours. |
| MISC. | There is nothing here, a lot of rubbish around this spot so don’t make it worse. Somtimes prostitutes hanging around here and are not amused if you disturb their “business”. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 200-400mm |
Due to the heat distortion we did not make any pics from this location. Feel free to share your pictures with us by using the contact form.
Bridge/Crash Gate - 25 departures
| WHERE | Along the Viale Coccia Di Morto until you see a bridge on your right at a crashgate. Turn onto the bridge and try to park your car BEFORE the bridge without block the gate nor the bicycle path! |
| WHAT | Good around noon for departures on RWY 25. 16R heavy departures are too low at this point! This spot is the best thing to do around noon when arrival shots are not possible. |
| TIME | Best around noon but be aware of heat haze due to the distance. |
| MISC. | You are not too far away from 2 gas stations, in case you need a toilet or food and beverages. Take care to park your car on the bridge’s edge before the “do not enter signs”, but also not too close to the road passing by! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-400mm – 185mm for a B773, 250mm for a B763 |
Crash Gate - 16L Arrivals
| WHERE | There is a crash gate at the corner of Vialle del’Olivetello and Viale di Campo Salino. The gaps between the bars of the crash gate are large enough to take photos through. You can park at the side of the track leading up to the crash gate, but not too close and make sure you don’t block access to the gate. Landing shots with aircrafts above the trees can also be taken over the fence from slightly further back on Viale di Campo Salino (all examples were taken from here). |
| WHAT | Arrivals for Runway 16L in the afternoon. The difference to #8 is that you have some trees as an background and not just a blue sky. However the disadvantage is the higher distance which also means that this location will be prone to heat haze in summer during early afternoon. |
| TIME | In summer the light is good from 15:00 until sunset. |
| MISC. | There is some shade under the trees but there is nothing else here so bring what you need. Somtimes prostitutes hanging around here and are not amused if you disturb their “business”. If you walk down the street for some pictures, be aware of the busy street! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 150-300mm |
Crash Gate:
Back on Viale di Campo Salino:
Rubbish mounds - 34R Arrivals
| WHERE | This spot is located in a closed parking lot east of runway 16L/34R. You have to enter from the roundabout just next to the GLS hall. Now you can either stand at the northern end where the biggest rubbish mounds are or continue down south to have the aircraft a bit higher – but there are no big mounds anymore. |
| WHAT | 34R Arrivals only. |
| TIME | From sunrise till early noon. |
| MISC. | Heat haze is a big issue from later morning on! There are just very few trees for shadow. Otherwise there is nothing around here. Please wear proper shoes as the rubbish mounds can be full of dangerous things or animals! |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100-300mm A333 side on = 125mm |
Bridge/Crash Gate – 25 departures is dedicated to the late Roman spotter Daniele “DOZ” D’Orazi. It would be nice to name this spotting point after him on this guide too
Hi, sept 2024, spotting points 18 and 10 are no longer available. Road closed with fence.
Hi, but I think you can pass the barrier by foot. Driving to the spots is not available AFAIK.
-Julian
Spot 15: The sand hill is now completely overgrown with 1.50 tall rapeseed plants. It was quite a struggle to get up there. Even the path there leads through knee- to waist-high vegetation. At least when I was there in April, the spot looks completely different than in the photo. The pictures you take however still look the same.
Thanks for the advice Jan, I left a note in the guide.
-Julian
Can echo this as was there last weekend. Unless you are very committed, this spot is almost impossible and given a full summer of growth, may be impassable in the near future.
Hello, I was wondering if there are any websites that publish Fiumicino’s aircraft movements. I flew out of here in September 2022 and there are quite a few things that I can’t tie up for my log.
Many thanks,
Stuart.
hi! any good spots inside the terminal/concourses? thanks!
Now sorry I didn’t read below more closely but can update for Laken Walker/Fredrico below
This is from today located myself at the fence at the 16R threshold about 9am security arrived about 1300 and asked me to move on however in 4 hours got a few arriving/departing new scheme ITA 330/350 so I was fortunate Was on foot and security van stayed with me on and off the entire 3900m to other end at 34L know next time to go to spot 14 Thanks to all for providing a great website Will add a few comments about Barcelona later in the week there last Monday and discovered an airside location which I don’t think featured in the article
I left a security note in the guide about the “fence issue”.
Thanks, Julian
The phrase ” The scanner isn’t 100% legal in Italy so use it with discrection.” in the main description is misleading.
In fact, scanners are 100% NOT legal in Italy and you might get fined for using it plus the scanner is taken from you if you get caught.
As in most european countrys the police does not actively search for scanners, but there´s no reason to encourage people to break the law in my opinion.
Hi are you allowed near the fence at FCO as I saw it has black boxes on , I just want to take a few pics and move on. Thanks
It’s better to avoid, Police will come immediatly to check you and send you away
Thank you I thought so will defo avoid. Thanks
Heads up, spots 16 and 19 have prostitution going on there, and the girls are not happy with you being there not for them😂, just a heads up.
Give them some money and they are happy 😉
-Julian
Hi great guide really helpful. I’m planning on visiting in October for the G20 summit and was wondering if most of the various world leaders aircrafts will be flown into here or would they go to CIA? TYIA