Environment - Italy

PRB monitoring

▪ Italy achieved a KEA performance of 2.98% compared to its target of 2.67% and did not contribute positively towards achieving the Union-wide target. KEA was at its highest value in RP3 so far.

▪ The NSA has not provided any adequate explanation as to why KEA deteriorated year on year.

▪ Both KEP and SCR deteriorated in comparison with 2021.

▪ The share of CDO flights decreased by 10.34% compared to 2021.

▪ During 2022, additional time in terminal airspace increased from 0.95 to 1.32 min/flight, while additional taxi out time increased from 2.36 to 3.41 min/flight.

En route performance

Horizontal flight efficiency of the actual trajectory (KEA) (KPI#1), of the last filed flight plan (KEP) (PI#1) & shortest constrained route (SCR) (PI#2)

Terminal performance

Additional taxi-out time (AXOT) (PI#3) & Arrival Sequencing and Metering Area (ASMA) time (PI#4)

AXOT

Additional taxi-out times at Rome Fiumiccino (LIRF; 2019: 7.87 min/dep.; 2020: 3.1 min/dep.; 2021: 3 min/dep.; 2022: 5 min/dep.) increased significantly in 2022 resulting in the second highest additional taxi-out times in the SES monitored airports. The rest of Italian airports also observed an increase of their taxi-out times in 2022. According to the Italian monitoring report: As in previous years of this RP3 and also for the entire RP2, similar as for the PI of the Terminal/ASMA, ENAV SpA and the other ANSPs in ECAC do not have access to part of the data used by PRU to process the output, and therefore they are not able to replicate the data processing and consequently to verify the correct assessment of the information. As already reported last year within the comments of the 2022 Report, the ad-hoc WG PRU/EUROCONTROL/ANSPs created for the scope of reviewing the TAXI-OUT Methodology completed the assigned task and released the new Methodology at the end of the 2022. Then, since March 2023 both the outputs (new output and previous one) are available within the ANS Performance website, accessible at monthly level for the scope of monitoring and comparing any gaps or any inconsistencies between the National yearly counted outputs vs the assigned Performance Targets. Considering that the details of the trajectory data (flight trajectory on the airport manoeuvring area/TAXI-OUT) are only available (except the case subsequent a specific request addressed directly to the PRU) as consolidated value at monthly level, by an ah-hoc analysis conducted for this scope it can be noted that the new Methodology ensures greater stability of the “Reference” (the so-called “Baseline”, used to compare the actual data with the same “starting-ending” previous operational situations, obtained considering the previous 12 months rolling and not the previous month only as for the previous Methodology) when compared with the Actual data used to determine the proposed output. And so, leaving out the last two years characterized by the pandemic crisis, the consolidated figure for 2022 presents itself, for all 5 airports under monitoring, as an optimized/improved value when compare it vs the consolidated figure of 2019. The positive results counted in 2022, that evidence the reduction of the Additional TAXI-OUT time, encourage the Italian NSA to continue incentive ENAV SpA with their flight efficiency policy implemented at the scope to reduce/optimize the TAXI-OUT performances for the Italian airports monitored and consequently to reduce fuel consumptions and CO2 emissions. The single value that evidences (also for the PI ASMA) an increment in the Additional Time is Milano Linate (2019 vs 2022), for which an internal investigation is in progress to analyse the causes and to implement some mitigation actions to reduce the inefficiency.
Here following the output data of 2022 (using the new methodology) compared with similar amounts of traffic of 2019, although with characteristics that are not always the same both for the type of aircraft and/or for the details of the trajectory, for the PI additional taxi-out: LIMC (Milan/Malpensa) 2019: 5.11 mins 2022: 4.16 mins
LIME (Bergamo/Orio Alserio) 2019: 3.41 mins 2022: 3.22 mins
LIML (Milan/Linate) 2019: 3.75 mins 2022: 4.79 mins
LIPZ (Venice/Tessera) 2019: 3.98 mins 2022: 3.09 mins
LIRF (Rome/Fiumicino) 2019: 7.12 mins 2022: 5.88 mins
Here following the output data (using the current methodology), between 2019 and 2022 for the PI additional taxi-out: LIMC (Milan/Malpensa) 2019: 4.76 mins 2022: 3.41 mins
LIME (Bergamo/Orio Alserio) 2019: 1.81 mins 2022: 1.77 mins
LIML (Milan/Linate) 2019: 2.43 mins 2022: 2.89 mins
LIPZ (Venice/Tessera) 2019: 2.52 mins 2022: 1.83 mins
LIRF (Rome/Fiumicino) 2019: 7.87 mins 2022: 5.00 mins

ASMA

Similar as for additional taxi-out time, additional ASMA times at the Italian airports increased in 2022. Milan Malpensa (LIMC: 2019: 2.59 min/arr.; 2020: 0.85 min/arr.; 2021: 1.25 min/arr.; 2022: 1.64 min/arr.) showed the longest additional ASMA time in Italy and one of the highest in the SES monitored airports (SES average additional ASMA time= 1.06 min/arr.) According to the Italian monitoring report: As in previous years of this RP3 and also for the RP2, similar as for the PI of the Taxi Time, ENAV SpA and the other ANSPs in ECAC do not have access to part of the data used by PRU to process the output, and therefore they are not able to replicate the data processing and consequently to verify the correct assessment of the information. As already reported last year within the comments of the 2022 Report, the ad-hoc WG created for the scope of reviewing the ASMA Methodology completed the assigned task and released the new Methodology at the end of the 2022. Then, since March 2023 both the outputs (new output and previous one) are available within the ANS Performance website, accessible at monthly level for the scope of monitoring and comparing any gaps or any inconsistencies between the counted National yearly outputs and the assigned Performance Targets. Considering that the details of the trajectory data (flight trajectory on the Terminal Area/ASMA) are only available (except the case subsequent a specific request addressed directly to the PRU) as consolidated value at monthly level, by an ah-hoc analysis conducted for this scope it can be noted that the new Methodology ensures greater stability of the “Reference” (the so-called “Baseline”, used to compare the actual data with the same “starting-ending” previous operational situations, obtained considering the previous 12 months rolling and not the previous month only as for the previous Methodology) when compared with the Actual data used to determine the proposed output. And so, leaving out the last two years characterized by the pandemic crisis, the consolidated figure for 2022 presents itself, for all 5 airports under monitoring, as an optimized/improved value when compare it vs the consolidated figure of 2019. The positive results counted in 2022, that evidence the reduction of the Additional ASMA time, encourage the Italian NSA to continue incentive ENAV SpA with their flight efficiency policy implemented at the scope to reduce/optimize the ASMA performances for the Italian airports monitored and consequently to reduce fuel consumptions and CO2 emissions. The single value that evidences (also for the PI TAXI-OUT) an increment in the Additional Time is Milano Linate, for which an internal investigation is in progress to analyse the causes and to implement some mitigation actions to reduce the inefficiency.
Here following the output data of 2022 (using the new methodology) compared with similar amounts of traffic of 2019, although with characteristics that are not always the same both for the type of aircraft and/or for the details of the trajectory, for the PI ASMA: LIMC (Milan/Malpensa) 2019: 4.48 mins 2022: 3.33 mins
LIME (Bergamo/Orio Alserio) 2019: 3.05 mins 2022: 2.30 mins
LIML (Milan/Linate) 2019: 2.46 mins 2022: 2.49 mins
LIPZ (Venice/Tessera) 2019: 3.49 mins 2022: 2.70 mins
LIRF (Rome/Fiumicino) 2019: 3.81 mins 2022: 2.88 mins
Here following the output data (using the current methodology), between 2019 and 2022 for the PI ASMA: LIMC (Milan/Malpensa) 2019: 2.59 mins 2022: 1.64 mins
LIME (Bergamo/Orio Alserio) 2019: 0.94 mins 2022: 0.81 mins
LIML (Milan/Linate) 2019: 0.96 mins 2022: 1.16 mins
LIPZ (Venice/Tessera) 2019: 1.95 mins 2022: 1.15 mins
LIRF (Rome/Fiumicino) 2019: 2.08 mins 2022: 1.40 mins

Share of arrivals applying continuous descent operations (CDOs) (PI#5)

The share of CDO flights decreased at all airports with the biggest decrease at Bergamo (-6.8 percentage points). Bergamo and Rome had shares of CDO flights above the overall RP3 value in 2022 - 29.0% - (LIME: 33.1%; LIRF: 33.8%).
All airports had the lowest monthly values during the summer months.

According to the Italian monitoring report: The methodology of the VFE during Climb and Descent segments to/from the Departure/Arrival airports was defined and released by the PRU at the end of multiple coordination meetings, in the recent past years, between PRU members and representatives of EUROCONTROL and multiple ECAC ANSPs.
Even if further cooperation was requested mainly by the ANSPs since the time of the release of the Methodology, with the aim to refine the first release in relation to the output carried out from the actual performances of the AUs and so to fill-in any gaps or inconsistencies, this action isn’t still carried out and the output of the processed file was never shared.
For this reason, since the first year of this RP3 (2020) when the VFE PI is reported within the annual Report and thus till the last year 2022, it was not possible to analyse the details of the files with the complete information (the consolidated data on monthly basis, sum and average values, are published and available on the ANS Performance website but in terms of final values only and without the VFE performance data of the individual flights) and therefore it is not possible once again to validate or comment/assess the presented final PI’s value.
However, as it has been repeatedly highlighted during the previous years, ENAV SpA still disagrees with the value presented in the Performance Report for the year 2022.
It therefore intends to represent that only 36% of the flights landed at LIRF in 2022, or only 20% landed in LIMC in 2022, were compliant with a continuous descent from TOD to touch down!
This assessment due to both the CDO measures applied by the ATCOs during the live operations and based also on an efficient EnRoute and Terminal NTW that has been realized, together with the other implementations introduced in the Airspace, in order to increase the Flight efficiency of operations even in the Arrival phases at National airports.
The value presented in the above Table, according to the interpretation of the PRU Methodology, want to represent the % of flights that were compliant with a continuous descent from the TOD upon landing (inside a cylinder with a radius of D200 NM centered from the airport of landing).
The value doesn’t consider those flights that were been affected by an interruption, a leveling due to any reason, which caused of their exclusion from the list of efficient flights from the point of view of the VFE.
However, as it has been done for other KPIs and PIs in the KPA ENV area, there is currently a coordination between ENAV SpA and PRU in order to have, following the ad-hoc analysis of a monthly extract received from PRU upon request, an upgrade/review of the actual VFE Methodology.
The scope is to highlight the real inefficiency in the VFE due to external factors from the ATC scopes/Safety issues, those inconsistencies in the management of the “Level Segments” that will have to better define the parameters for which any interruption of the continuous descent can and it must be considered an inefficiency, and so to support the revision of the methodology and the setting of the algorithm.
Considered the above, the ENAV SpA proposal is to remove for the 2022 (initially as first action but to recalculate also the other 2 previous years of the RP3 and to review the Methodology as well) all those flight that have been considered as not compliant for CDO when crossing FL 75 and till the touch down. The numbers are available within the ANS Performance website and easily manageable by PRU.
Giving simply that, that it is almost clear particularly during the rush hours when it is impossible for an aircraft in sequence for landing to maintain the continuous descent glide path due to preceding aircraft, the recalculated numbers will reflect what it really happens in the Italian airspace relatively to the VFE PI.

Airport level
Airport Name
Additional taxi-out time (PI#3)
Additional ASMA time (PI#4)
Share of arrivals applying CDO (PI#5)
2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Orio Al Serio 1.02 1.11 1.77 NA NA 0.45 0.70 0.81 NA NA 39% 40% 33% NA NA
Linate 1.93 2.18 2.89 NA NA 0.78 0.84 1.16 NA NA 28% 28% 24% NA NA
Malpensa 2.66 2.86 3.41 NA NA 0.85 1.25 1.64 NA NA 24% 23% 20% NA NA
Fiumicino 3.10 3.00 5.00 NA NA 1.25 0.96 1.40 NA NA 43% 40% 36% NA NA
Venice Tessera 1.38 1.10 1.83 NA NA 1.06 0.53 1.15 NA NA 34% 34% 29% NA NA

Civil-Military dimension

Update on Military dimension of the plan

No data available

Military - related measures implemented or planned to improve capacity

No data available

Initiatives implemented or planned to improve PI#6

No data available

Initiatives implemented or planned to improve PI#7

No data available

Initiatives implemented or planned to improve PI#8

No data available