Early years

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.^[12]

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.^[12]

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.^[12]

2010s

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.^[13]

In 2014, a contract was awarded for the extension of the railway line from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2. The line was opened in December 2016.^[14] The new Malpensa Terminal 2 railway station is 200 m (660 ft) north of the T2 arrivals hall, that is accessed by an outdoor covered walkway.^[15]

2020s

On 5 July 2024, Italian minister of infrastructure and transport Matteo Salvini announced that Malpensa Airport would officially be named after former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, following ENAC's approval of a request by the regional government of Lombardy from 2023.^[16] ENAC officially changed the name to Aeroporto internazionale Milano Malpensa "Silvio Berlusconi" on 11 July 2024.^[17]

On 20 August 2025, the airport was partially evacuated after a man set fire to a check-in area and attacked digital screens with a hammer before being subdued and detained.^[18]

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, which opened in 1998, is the newer,^[22] larger and more prominent terminal. The terminal is divided into three sections and handles most passengers on scheduled as well as charter flights:^{[citation needed]}

• Concourse A handles domestic and intra-Schengen flights.
• Concourse B handles non-Schengen and intercontinental flights.
• Concourse C (B2), opened in January 2012, handles non-Schengen, intercontinental flights and security-sensitive flights to the USA and Israel.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 is the older terminal.^[22] It was closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic^[23] and reopened on 31 May 2023. easyJet has been the sole tenant of Terminal 2 since all charter services, which were previously based in Terminal 2, moved to Terminal 1 upon the latter's opening.^{[citation needed]}

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled, seasonal and charter flights to and from Malpensa:^[24]

Cargo

The following airlines operate regular cargo services to and from Malpensa:

Traffic

Milan Malpensa Airport – traffic information

Years	Movements	% variation	Passengers	% variation	Cargo (tons)	% variation
2000	249,107	13.3	20,716,815	22.1	301,045	4.6
2001	236,409	5.1	18,570,494	10.4	323,707	7.5
2002	214,886	9.1	17,441,250	6.1	328,241	1.4
2003	213,554	0.6	17,621,585	1	362,587	10.5
2004	218,048	2.1	18,554,874	5.3	361,237	13.1
2005	227,718	4.4	19,630,514	5.8	384,752	6.5
2006	247,456	8.7	21,767,267	10.9	419,128	8,9
2007	267,941	8.3	23,885,391	9.7	486,666	16.1
2008	218,476	18.5	19,221,632	19.5	415,952	14.5
2009	187,551	14.2	17,551,635	8.7	344,047	17.3
2010	193,771	3.3	18,947,808	8	432,674	25.8
2011	190,838	1.5	19,303,131	1.8	450,446	4.1
2012	174,892	8.4	18,537,301	4	414,317	8
2013	164,745	5.8	17,955,075	3.1	430,343	3.9
2014	166,749	1.2	18,853,203	5	469,657	9.1
2015	160,484	3.8	18,582,043	1.4	511,191	8.8
2016	166,842	4	19,420,690	4.5	548,767	7.4
2017	178,953	7.3	22,169,167	14.2	589,719	7.5
2018	194,515	8.7	24,725,490	11.5	572,774.8	2.9
2019	234,054	20.3	28,846,299	16.7	558,481.5	2.5
2020	92,432	60.5	7,241,766	74.9	516,739.6	7.5
2021	118,341	28.0	9,622,464	32.9	747,242	44.6
2022	186,626	57.7	21,347,652	121.9	721,255	3.5
2023	201,958	8.2	26,076,714	22.2	671,908	6.8
2024	214,511	6.2	28,910,368	10.9	731,641	8.9
2025[308]	226,304	5.3	31,234,229	8.7	764,171	4.2

Busiest domestic routes

Busiest domestic routes to/from Milan Malpensa (2023)^[309]

Rank	Rank var. (prev. year)	Airport	Passengers	Airline(s)
1		Catania, Sicily	1,066,600	easyJet, Neos Air, Ryanair, Wizz Air
2		Palermo, Sicily	809,824	easyJet, Ryanair
3		Naples, Campania	681,008	easyJet, Ryanair
4		Bari, Apulia	494,199	easyJet, Ryanair
5		Brindisi, Apulia	436,195	easyJet, Neos Air, Ryanair
6		Olbia, Sardinia	340,245	easyJet, Neos Air, Wizz Air
7	1	Lamezia Terme, Calabria	267,827	easyJet, Neos Air, Ryanair
8	1	Cagliari, Sardinia	263,010	easyJet, Neos Air, Ryanair

Busiest European routes

Busiest European routes from/to Milan Malpensa (2023)^[309]

Rank	Rank var. (prev. year)	Airport	Passengers	Airline(s)
1		Barcelona, Spain	996,626	easyJet, Ryanair, Singapore Airlines, Vueling, Wizz Air
2		Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France	824,257	Air France, easyJet
3		Madrid, Spain	723,736	Air Europa, Iberia, Ryanair, Wizz Air
4		Lisbon, Portugal	607,425	easyJet, TAP Portugal
5	2	Athens, Thessaloniki, Greece	520,479	Aegean Airlines, easyJet, Ryanair, Sky Express, Wizz Air
6	1	Amsterdam, Netherlands	489,345	easyJet, KLM,
7	1	Vienna, Austria	382,004	Austrian Airlines, Ryanair
8	1	Frankfurt, Germany	334,927	Air Dolomiti, Lufthansa
9	7	Prague, Czech Republic	328,857	Czech Airlines, easyJet, Wizz Air
10	1	Copenhagen, Denmark	315,126	easyJet, Scandinavian Airlines
11	2	Málaga, Spain	262,043	easyJet, Ryanair
12	2	Paris–Orly, France	260,554	Transavia, Vueling
13	1	Munich, Germany	235,293	Air Dolomiti, easyJet, Lufthansa
14	3	Porto, Portugal	232,153	easyJet, Ryanair, TAP Portugal
15	5	Budapest, Hungary	222,141	Ryanair, Wizz Air
16	6	Palma de Mallorca, Spain	217,238	easyJet, Neos Air, Ryanair
17	2	Ibiza, Spain	201,775	easyJet, Neos Air, Vueling
18		Helsinki, Finland	196,803	Finnair
19	9	Tenerife, Spain	195,314	easyJet, Neos, Ryanair, Wizz Air

Busiest non-EU routes

Busiest non-EU routes from/to Milan Malpensa (2023)^[309]

Rank	Rank var. (prev. year)	City	Passengers	Airline(s)
1		New York–JFK, New York, United States	981,030	American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, ITA Airways, Neos Air
2		London–Gatwick, England	691,156	easyJet, Wizz Air
3		Dubai–International, United Arab Emirates	558,974	Emirates
4		Istanbul, Turkey	520,763	Turkish Airlines
5	2	Doha, Qatar	486,648	Qatar Airways
6	1	Tirana, Albania	390,687	Air Albania, Wizz Air
7	1	Tel Aviv, Israel	360,694	Arkia, easyJet, El Al, Neos Air, Wizz Air
8	2	London–Stansted, England	354,963	Ryanair
9		London–Heathrow, England	315,813	British Airways
10	1	Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt	284,264	Air Horizont, AlbaStar, easyJet, Neos Air, Wizz Air
11	1	Manchester, England	260,934	easyJet, Ryanair
12		Cairo, Egypt	247,835	Air Cairo, Egypt Air, Neos Air
13	4	Marrakesh, Morocco	195,444	easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air
14	1	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	195,186	Etihad Airways
15	1	Newark, New Jersey, United States	194,795	La Compagnie, United Airlines
16	6	Marsa Alam, Egypt	186,419	Air Cairo, AlbaStar, easyJet, Neos Air
17	2	São Paulo-Guarulhos, Brazil	161,249	LATAM Brasil
18	3	Reykjavík, Iceland	158,512	easyJet, Icelandair, Wizz Air
19	13	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia	147,815	Saudia, Wizz Air
20	1	Oslo, Norway	144,999	easyJet, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavian Airlines
21	3	Casablanca, Morocco	134,521	Royal Air Maroc

Movements by country

European Union countries with passenger movements
from/to Milan Malpensa Airport (2018)

Rank	Rank var. (prev. year)	Country	Passengers 2018
1		Italy	4,093,221
2		Spain	2,559,852
3	1	Germany	1,805,491
4	1	United Kingdom	1,717,631
5		France	1,396,510
6		The Netherlands	841,773
7		Greece	652,323
8		Portugal	644,147
9	2	Austria	377,548
10		Denmark	367,156
11	2	Belgium	337,648
12		Czech Republic	304,878
13		Hungary	240,128
14	1	Poland	232,147
15	1	Finland	198,838
16		Luxembourg	147,866
17		Romania	119,021
18		Bulgaria	114,080
19		Sweden	109,465
20	1	Lithuania	75,768
21	1	Ireland	71,749
22	1	Estonia	36,937
23	1	Cyprus	34,714
24		Malta	10,198

Rail

The airport is served by two train stations, one at each terminal.^{[citation needed]}

Bus

• Flibco,^[313] Malpensa Shuttle and Malpensa Bus Express connect the airport to Milan Central station (Trenitalia's National Railway hub) and for Milan's Metro network. The shuttle bus calls at Terminals 1 and 2, Busto Arsizio and Milan Fair (on request). Journey time is 60–70 minutes.^{[citation needed]}
• A free, 24-hour shuttle bus provides access to Terminal 2 from Terminal 1. The bus leaves every 7 minutes. Journey time is 15–20 minutes.^{[citation needed]}
• Malpensa Airport has direct coach connections with several cities in Northern Italy, including Como (Flibco), Domodossola (Autoservizi Comazzi), Genoa (Volpi), the Lake Maggiore area (Alibus), Novara (Flibco), and Turin (Flibco; Airport Bus).^[314]

Road

Malpensa Airport is accessible by a four-lane motorway to the A8 (connecting Switzerland to Milan) and by a five-lane motorway to the A4 (connecting Turin/Torino, Verona, Venice and Triest/Trieste). Local access to the airport is provided by the State Road SS336 from Busto Arsizio and by the State Road SS336dir from Magenta.^{[citation needed]}