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Milan Malpensa Airport
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Milan Malpensa Airport
Milan Malpensa Airport (IATA: MXP, ICAO: LIMC) is an international airport in Ferno, in the Province of Varese, Lombardy, Italy. It is the largest airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria, as well as the Swiss canton of Ticino. It is located 49 kilometres (30 mi) northwest of Milan, next to the Ticino river dividing Lombardy and Piedmont. The airport is located inside the Parco Naturale Lombardo Della Valle Del Ticino, a nature reserve included by UNESCO in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The airport was opened in 1909 by Giovanni Agusta and Gianni Caproni to test their aircraft prototypes, before switching to civil operation in 1948.
Malpensa Airport is ninth in the world and sixth in Europe for the number of countries served with direct flights. In 2024, Malpensa Airport handled 28.5 million passengers and was the 22nd-busiest airport in Europe in terms of passengers and second-busiest airport in Italy in terms of passengers after Rome Fiumicino Airport. It is the busiest airport in Italy for freight and cargo, handling over 730,000 tons of international freight annually (2024).
Together with Milan Bergamo Airport and Milan Linate Airport, it forms the Milan airport system with 56.9 million passengers in 2024, the largest airport system in Italy by number of passengers.
Aviation activities on the site of today's Malpensa Airport began on 27 May 1910, when the Caproni brothers flew a Cal biplane. In the following years, many aircraft prototypes took off from the same site; eventually, it was decided to upgrade the farming patch to a more formal airfield. Both Gianni Caproni and Giovanni Agusta established factories on the new site; the airfield soon developed into the largest aircraft production centre in Italy.[citation needed] During the 1920s and 1930s, the airfield hosted two squadrons of the Regia Aeronautica Italiana (Italian Air Force). It was for advanced flight training held by an air bombing and gunnery school.
In September 1943, Malpensa airfield was taken over by the Luftwaffe after northern Italy was invaded by Nazi Germany. Soon after their arrival, the Germans laid the airfield's first concrete runway. It was designated as Flugpatz 368 by the Luftwaffe and ANR Aeroporto N. 6 by the Regia Aeronautica, and was known by a number of names including Gallarate, Gallarate-Malpensa, Cascina-Malpensa, Cascina Costa, Vizzola Ticono, Gaspare Bolla, Adalberto Campaci, and Luigi Bailo. The airfield was split into three sides, which was the Malpensa side on the north, Cascina Costa side on the east, and Vizolla Ticono side on the west. This design was done intentionally to give the impression of three airfields to Allied forces. On the Vizolla Ticono side, a distribution and maintenance depot was installed for Bf 109 fighters, and it was also used by the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. There were 3 medium hangars and 5 buildings for repair workshops and stores. On the Gallarate side, there were 3 large hangars were on the northern boundary, and 1 large and 1 medium hangars on the western boundary. On the Cascina Costa side, there were 2 medium hangars and 2 buildings for workshops.
After the cessation of hostilities during the Second World War, manufacturers and politicians of the Milan and Varese regions, led by banker Benigno Ajroldi of Banca Alto Milanese, restored the airfield. They aimed to make it an industrial fulcrum for the post-war recovery of Italy. The main runway, heavily damaged by German troops as they retreated from northern Italy, was rebuilt and extended to 1,800 m (5,900 ft). A small wooden terminal was constructed to protect goods and passengers from bad weather.
Responding to Alitalia's pullout, the operator SEA launched an all-out publicity programme and aggressively marketed Malpensa Airport around the world. As a result, from 2008 to 2011, a total of 34 new passenger and cargo routes were added to Malpensa's network.[citation needed]
The low-cost carrier EasyJet made Malpensa its main base after London Gatwick, with more than 20 of its Airbus A319s and Airbus A320s based there. Competitor Ryanair confirmed plans to open an operating base at Malpensa from December 2015, initially with one aircraft.
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Milan Malpensa Airport
Milan Malpensa Airport (IATA: MXP, ICAO: LIMC) is an international airport in Ferno, in the Province of Varese, Lombardy, Italy. It is the largest airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria, as well as the Swiss canton of Ticino. It is located 49 kilometres (30 mi) northwest of Milan, next to the Ticino river dividing Lombardy and Piedmont. The airport is located inside the Parco Naturale Lombardo Della Valle Del Ticino, a nature reserve included by UNESCO in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The airport was opened in 1909 by Giovanni Agusta and Gianni Caproni to test their aircraft prototypes, before switching to civil operation in 1948.
Malpensa Airport is ninth in the world and sixth in Europe for the number of countries served with direct flights. In 2024, Malpensa Airport handled 28.5 million passengers and was the 22nd-busiest airport in Europe in terms of passengers and second-busiest airport in Italy in terms of passengers after Rome Fiumicino Airport. It is the busiest airport in Italy for freight and cargo, handling over 730,000 tons of international freight annually (2024).
Together with Milan Bergamo Airport and Milan Linate Airport, it forms the Milan airport system with 56.9 million passengers in 2024, the largest airport system in Italy by number of passengers.
Aviation activities on the site of today's Malpensa Airport began on 27 May 1910, when the Caproni brothers flew a Cal biplane. In the following years, many aircraft prototypes took off from the same site; eventually, it was decided to upgrade the farming patch to a more formal airfield. Both Gianni Caproni and Giovanni Agusta established factories on the new site; the airfield soon developed into the largest aircraft production centre in Italy.[citation needed] During the 1920s and 1930s, the airfield hosted two squadrons of the Regia Aeronautica Italiana (Italian Air Force). It was for advanced flight training held by an air bombing and gunnery school.
In September 1943, Malpensa airfield was taken over by the Luftwaffe after northern Italy was invaded by Nazi Germany. Soon after their arrival, the Germans laid the airfield's first concrete runway. It was designated as Flugpatz 368 by the Luftwaffe and ANR Aeroporto N. 6 by the Regia Aeronautica, and was known by a number of names including Gallarate, Gallarate-Malpensa, Cascina-Malpensa, Cascina Costa, Vizzola Ticono, Gaspare Bolla, Adalberto Campaci, and Luigi Bailo. The airfield was split into three sides, which was the Malpensa side on the north, Cascina Costa side on the east, and Vizolla Ticono side on the west. This design was done intentionally to give the impression of three airfields to Allied forces. On the Vizolla Ticono side, a distribution and maintenance depot was installed for Bf 109 fighters, and it was also used by the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. There were 3 medium hangars and 5 buildings for repair workshops and stores. On the Gallarate side, there were 3 large hangars were on the northern boundary, and 1 large and 1 medium hangars on the western boundary. On the Cascina Costa side, there were 2 medium hangars and 2 buildings for workshops.
After the cessation of hostilities during the Second World War, manufacturers and politicians of the Milan and Varese regions, led by banker Benigno Ajroldi of Banca Alto Milanese, restored the airfield. They aimed to make it an industrial fulcrum for the post-war recovery of Italy. The main runway, heavily damaged by German troops as they retreated from northern Italy, was rebuilt and extended to 1,800 m (5,900 ft). A small wooden terminal was constructed to protect goods and passengers from bad weather.
Responding to Alitalia's pullout, the operator SEA launched an all-out publicity programme and aggressively marketed Malpensa Airport around the world. As a result, from 2008 to 2011, a total of 34 new passenger and cargo routes were added to Malpensa's network.[citation needed]
The low-cost carrier EasyJet made Malpensa its main base after London Gatwick, with more than 20 of its Airbus A319s and Airbus A320s based there. Competitor Ryanair confirmed plans to open an operating base at Malpensa from December 2015, initially with one aircraft.
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