Rome–Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport began its operational life not with a ribbon-cutting, but with urgency. On August 20, 1960, the airport accepted its first flights, not yet complete, but opened early to relieve Rome Ciampino Airport, which was overwhelmed by international traffic arriving for the 1960 Summer Olympics. The official inauguration followed on January 15, 1961, when a TWA Lockheed Constellation from New York touched down on one of its 2 original parallel runways, formally replacing Ciampino as Rome's primary international facility.

Located in the coastal municipality of Fiumicino, roughly 30 kilometers southwest of central Rome, FCO occupies a site where construction crews unearthed the hulls of 7 ancient Roman ships during building works. Its design merged 2 competing architectural proposals, one by Riccardo Morandi and Andrea Zavitteri, the other by Amedeo Luccichenti and Vincenzo Monaco, with the final project approved in August 1958 and built in just 21 months. A third runway was added in 1973. The airport now operates 3 active runways and, following major refurbishment, 2 terminals: Terminal 1, home base to ITA Airways, and the larger Terminal 3. ITA Airways, successor to the defunct Alitalia, uses FCO as its primary hub. The airport is also an operating base for Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling, Wizz Air, and several other carriers.

FCO is Italy's busiest airport and ranks among the top 10 in Europe by passenger volume, surpassing 51 million passengers in 2025. The Leonardo Express rail service, opened in May 1990, connects the airport to Roma Termini in 30 minutes, running every 15 minutes. The airport's location on the Tyrrhenian coast makes it the natural first stop for the millions of travelers arriving each year to one of the world's most visited cities.