Civil aviation impacts on local air quality: A survey inside two international airports in central Italy

•Comparison of airports with different layout/aircraft traffic load.•Higher NO2 and PB-PAHs, lower SO2 found in the smaller airport.•Maximum SO2 measured at airports despite decrease of aircraft traffic recorded.•BbF/BjF diagnostic of aircraft emissions didn't prove to be conclusive.

The results of air quality monitoring carried out over several years (2008-2012) in two international airports near Rome (labelled as A and B) are reported and discussed. Airport A serves regular flights, airport B operates low-cost flights and, during the period investigated, had about 17% of airport A aircraft traffic load.Diffusive sampling of gaseous species (NO2, SO2, BTX and O3) was performed at several sites inside the airports. During 2012 the investigation was improved by including PM10 and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Higher concentrations of NO2 (+18%) and lower of SO2 (−20%) were found at airport B, compared to A, over the whole period investigated. The maximum concentrations of SO2 were measured in 2011 at both airports (13.4 μg/m3 and 10.8 μg/m3 respectively for A and B), despite the decrease of aircraft traffic load recorded. Statistical analysis of PM10 data showed that there was no significant difference between the average concentrations measured at the two airports (25.7 μg/m3 and 27.4 μg/m3 for A and B respectively) and among the sites investigated. The concentration of PAHs at airport B (4.3 ng/m3) was almost twice that of airport A (2.2 ng/m3), though the respective percentages of compounds were similar.Airport B seemed to be negatively influenced by its surroundings, in particular by vehicular traffic flows of two major roads, whereas airport A was positively influenced by the proximity to the seaside. PCA data analysis showed that airport A sites are differently impacted by the LTO flight phases according to their position, whereas at airport B it was impossible to find similar relationships.