Milan Malpensa Airport has had a turbulent history. The airport was built to serve Italy’s financial capital Milan. Although the flag career Alitalia initially invested in the airport, it pulled the plug on it in a second moment leaving the airport in quite a predicament. MXP had to build itself an all new business model. So let’s find out more about the history of Italy’s northern key hub and its history.
Contents:
- From Alitalia Hub to Zero ITA Airways Flights
- Runway Specifications at Milan Malpensa
- The Lounges of MXP
- Which Terminal Do Airlines Use?
When was MXP Built And Its Inconvenient Location
The original airport construction dates back almost a century, with Malpensa 1.0 opening for operations in 1910. However modern Milan Malpensa International Airport, as we know it today, is much more recent than that. The airport was heavily renovated in the early ’90s in order to accomodate larger numbers of international and particularly intercontinental passengers and flights.
The modern MXP airport opened for operations in 1998, when Alitalia also started using the airport as its primary hub. Much of the airline’s fleet what transferred here from Rome Fiumicino. However this was a status quo that wouldn’t live on for too long as we’ll see in the next paragraphs.
Without hub status for Alitalia and then ITA Airways the airport become very unattractive for continental travel. Its location is the main culprit for this as MXP is located a full 50km west of Milan. In essence the airport sits a few minutes from the border with Piedmont and is almost half way between Milan and Turin. Therefore the airport with the exception of low cost carriers is primarily now used for long range services arriving into Milan.
From Alitalia Hub to Zero ITA Airways Flights
Milan Malpensa Airport has successfully reinvented itself over the years. It was originally thought and built to become a primary hub, or at the least on par with Rome Fiumicino, for Alitalia. However the landscape and priorities of Italian aviation shifted significantly as time went by. Influenced by external investors, such as Etihad, Alitalia decided to focus entirely on Rome Fiumicino Airport.
This led to a gradual withdrawal from the Malpensa hub. In the new era of ITA Airways, the company has opted to further move operations to Rome, centralising all long-haul operations at FCO, designating Milan Linate as a secondary hub for intra-European flights.
In early 2024, ITA Airways completely abandoned Malpensa, discontinuing its last active route from the airport, a Milan to New York JFK flight, due to cost inefficiencies and low performance.
Runway Specifications at Milan Malpensa
| Runway | Length (m) | Orientation |
|---|---|---|
| 17L/35R | 3,920 | Nord-Sud |
| 17R/35L | 3,920 | Nord-Sud |
Milan Malpensa Airport operates two main runway system. The runways are both almost 4km long and have a separation which allows simultaneous operations for take-offs and landings. Their size makes them also capable of accommodating even the largest passenger and cargo planes. Both runways have a 170/350 orientation and are identified as 17L/35R and 17R/35L. In simpler terms they accommodate large aircraft such as the Airbus A380, used by Emirates, and the Boeing 747 used by many cargo operators. MXP is in fact a major export hub for Italian made perishable goods.
Which Terminal Do Airlines Use?
| Airline | Terminal |
|---|---|
| Aegean Airlines | 1 |
| Aer Lingus | 1 |
| Aigle Azur | 1 |
| Air Albania | 1 |
| Air Algérie | 1 |
| AirBaltic | 1 |
| Air Cairo | 1 |
| Air Canada | 1 |
| Air Dolomiti | 1 |
| Air Europa | 1 |
| Air France | 1 |
| Air Horizont | 1 |
| Air India | 1 |
| Air Malta | 1 |
| Air Moldova | 1 |
| Air Nostrum | 1 |
| Air Serbia | 1 |
| AlbaStar | 1 |
| American Airlines | 1 |
| Arkia | 1 |
| ASL Airlines | 1 |
| Austrian Airlines | 1 |
| Azerbaijan Airlines | 1 |
| Azul Linhas Aéreas | 1 |
| BA Cityflyer | 1 |
| Belavia | 1 |
| Blue Air | 1 |
| Blue Panorama Airlines | 1 |
| BMI Regional | 1 |
| British Airways | 1 |
| Brussels Airlines | 1 |
| Bulgaria Air | 1 |
| Cabo Verde Airlines | 1 |
| Cathay Pacific | 1 |
| China Eastern Airlines | 1 |
| Czech Airlines | 1 |
| Cygnus Air | 1 |
| Cyprus Airways | 1 |
| Delta Air Lines | 1 |
| Eastern Airways | 1 |
| EasyJet | 2 |
| EgyptAir | 1 |
| El Al | 1 |
| Emirates | 1 |
| Ethiopian Airlines | 1 |
| Etihad Airways | 1 |
| Eurowings | 1 |
| EVA Air | 1 |
| Finnair | 1 |
| FlyOne | 1 |
| Flyr | 1 |
| Freebird Airlines | 1 |
| Garuda Indonesia | 1 |
| Gol Linhas Aéreas | 1 |
| Gulf Air | 1 |
| Hainan Airlines | 1 |
| Hop! | 1 |
| Iberia | 1 |
| Icelandair | 1 |
| Iran Air | 1 |
| ITA Airways | 1 |
| JetBlue | 1 |
| KLM | 1 |
| Korean Air | 1 |
| Kuwait Airways | 1 |
| La Compagnie | 1 |
| LATAM | 1 |
| LEVEL | 1 |
| LOT Polish Airlines | 1 |
| Lufthansa | 1 |
| Lumiwings | 1 |
| Luxair | 1 |
| Mahan Air | 1 |
| Middle East Airlines | 1 |
| Mistral Air | 1 |
| Montenegro Airlines | 1 |
| Neos | 1 |
| Nesma Airlines | 1 |
| Norwegian Air Shuttle | 1 |
| Nouvelair | 1 |
| Orange2Fly | 1 |
| Pakistan International Airlines | 1 |
| Pegasus Airlines | 1 |
| Qatar Airways | 1 |
| Royal Air Maroc | 1 |
| Ryanair | 1 |
| Saudia | 1 |
| Scandinavian Airlines | 1 |
| Singapore Airlines | 1 |
| Southern Air | 1 |
| Swiss International Air Lines | 1 |
| TAP Air Portugal | 1 |
| Tayaran Jet | 1 |
| Thai Airways | 1 |
| Titan Airways | 1 |
| Trade Air | 1 |
| Tunisair | 1 |
| Turkish Airlines | 1 |
The terminals at Malpensa accommodate airlines from around the world. Terminal 1 is home to full service carriers such as British Airways and Lufthansa. Both international and domestic flights depart from this terminal however most flights fly outside of Italy.
Terminal 2 on the other hand is almost exclusively low cost carrier territory. T2 serves as the home of giants of low cost travel EasyJet and Ryanair.
The airport also features a train station which connects it to the city of Milan, with a 30 to 35 minute ride time. To find out all the transfer options between airport and city check out this post.
The Lounges of MXP
Milan Malpensa Airport offers a number of lounges to its travellers. Some good some less. The airport’s lounges include:
- Sala Montale – Terminal 1 – For passengers travelling outside of the Schengen Area
- Sala Monteverdi – Terminal 1 – For passengers travelling within the Schengen Area
In addition, the airport has lounges owned by Emirates and Lufthansa. MXP is a key airport for both these airlines. Emirates operates flights to both Dubai and New York from here and sees large numbers of business travellers on the route. Lufthansa on the other hand mainly feeds business travellers from and to its Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich hubs.
Access to the Lufthansa lounge requires either a:
- Business class ticket
- Frequent flyer status with Lufthansa or Star Alliance
- A qualifying credit card.
Similarly, the Emirates lounge is accessible to passengers with:
- Business or first-class tickets
- Skywards Gold status or higher
The Emirates lounge, located directly above the departure gate, offers a unique and exclusive boarding experience for premium passengers.
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