Milan Linate Airport

Milan Linate Airport Template:Airport codes is a city airport located in Milan, the second-largest city and largest urban area of Italy. It served 10.6 million passengers and recorded 118,060 aircraft movements in 2024, making it one of the busiest airports in Italy.<ref name="Assaeroporti" /> It is the third-busiest airport in the Milan metropolitan area in terms of passenger numbers, after Malpensa and Bergamo, and the second busiest in terms of aircraft movements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Together with Milan Malpensa Airport and Milan Bergamo Airport, they form the Milan airport system with 56.9 million passengers in 2024, the largest airport system in Italy by number of passengers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Early years

The airport was built next to Idroscalo of Milan in the 1930s when Taliedo Airport, located Template:Convert from the southern border of Milan and one of the world's first aerodromes and airports, became too small for commercial traffic. Linate was completely rebuilt in the 1950s and again in the 1980s.Template:Citation needed

Its name comes from the small village where it is located in the town of Peschiera Borromeo. Its official name is Airport Enrico Forlanini, after the Italian inventor and aeronautical pioneer born in Milan. Linate airport buildings are located in the Segrate Municipality, and the field is located for a large part in the Peschiera Borromeo Municipality.Template:Citation needed

Development since 2000

Since 2001, because of Linate's close proximity to the centre of Milan – only Template:Convert east of the city centre,<ref name="AIP" /> compared with Malpensa, which is 41 km (25 mi) northwest of the city centre – its capacity has been reduced by law from 32 slots per hour (technical capacity) down to 22 slots per hour (politically decided capacity) and only domestic or international flights within the EU or to the United Kingdom have been allowed.Template:Citation needed That year, 2001, also saw a major accident at Linate with many illegalTemplate:Citation needed and non-ICAO-regulation practicesTemplate:Refn and layouts part of its then operation.Template:Citation needed

From 27 July to 27 October 2019, Linate was closed for runway resurfacing and terminal upgrades. The latter project is expected to continue after the airport's reopening, concluding some time in 2021. During this closure, most flights were rerouted to Malpensa, displacing approximately 2.5 million passengers.<ref name=19close>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=geeks>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2023, Linate Airport was named Europe's Best Airport in the 5-10 Million Passenger category by the Airport Council International.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Also as of 2023, the airport had received level 4+ of the Airport Carbon Accreditation.<ref name=":0" />

Facilities

Terminal

Linate Airport features one three-story passenger terminal building. The ground level contains the check-in and separate baggage reclaim facilities as well as service counters and a secondary departure gate area for bus-boarding. The first floor features the main departure area with several shops, restaurants and service facilities. The second floor is used for office space.<ref>milanolinate-airport.com – Maps retrieved 23 June 2015</ref>

Apron and runway

The terminal building features five aircraft stands, all of which are equipped with jet-bridges. Several more parking positions are available on the apron which are reached from several bus-boarding gates.Template:Citation needed AIRAC A10/23 (valid from 30 November 2023) has determined the new QFU of the runway as 17/35 (was earlier 18/36) due to magnetic variation, and downgraded the "old" 17/35 to a taxiway only.Template:Citation needed

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate scheduled services to and from Linate Airport:<ref name="Milan Linate Destinations">Template:Cite web</ref>

Statistics

Linate airport in the 1930s

Maintenance hangar

Control tower

Apron view

Busiest domestic routes from Linate (2017)<ref name="ENAC 2017">Template:Cite web</ref> Rank City Passengers Airline 1 Rome–Fiumicino, Lazio 1,183,753 ITA Airways 2 Cagliari, Sardinia 627,299 ITA Airways, Volotea 3 Catania, Sicily 585,809 ITA Airways 4 Naples, Campania 509,251 ITA Airways 5 Bari, Apulia 403,247 ITA Airways 6 Palermo, Sicily 389,306 ITA Airways 7 Olbia, Sardinia 330,921 AeroItalia, Volotea 8 Brindisi, Apulia 218,672 ITA Airways 9 Alghero, Sardinia 202,884 ITA Airways 10 Lamezia Terme, Calabria 175,801 ITA Airways 11 Reggio Calabria, Calabria 163,168 ITA Airways

Busiest European routes from Linate (2016)<ref name="ENAC 2014">Template:Cite web</ref> Rank Rank var. 15-16 City Passengers Airline 1 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France Template:Increase 785.308 Air France, Alitalia 2 Template:Increase 1 Template:Flagicon Amsterdam, Netherlands Template:Increase 651.774 Alitalia, KLM 3 Template:Decrease 1 Template:Flagicon London–Heathrow, United Kingdom Template:Decrease 616.402 Alitalia, British Airways 4 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Frankfurt am Main, Germany Template:Increase 450.873 Alitalia, Lufthansa 5 Template:Increase 6 Template:Flagicon London–Gatwick, United Kingdom Template:Increase 293.540 easyJet 6 Template:Decrease 1 Template:Flagicon Paris–Orly, France Template:Decrease 237.696 Alitalia, easyJet 7 Template:Decrease 1 Template:Flagicon Brussels, Belgium Template:Decrease 223.904 Alitalia, Brussels Airlines 8 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Madrid, Spain Template:Increase 220.495 Iberia 9 Template:Decrease 2 Template:Flagicon Berlin–Tegel, Germany Template:Decrease 204.124 Alitalia, Air Berlin 10 Template:Decrease 1 Template:Flagicon Düsseldorf, Germany Template:Increase 182.231 Alitalia, Air Berlin 11 Template:Decrease 1 Template:Flagicon London–City, United Kingdom Template:Increase 180.872 Alitalia, British Airways 12 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Vienna, Austria Template:Increase 119.960 Austrian Airlines 13 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Bucharest, Romania Template:Decrease 103.718 Alitalia, Blue Air 14 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Dublin, Ireland Template:Increase 99.335 Aer Lingus 15 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Stockholm–Arlanda, Sweden Template:Increase 87.981 Scandinavian Airlines 16 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Malta, Malta Template:Increase 78.030 Air Malta 17 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Barcelona, Spain Template:Increase 66.538 Alitalia 18 Template:Steady Template:Flagicon Munich, Germany Template:Steady 62.969 Meridiana

Ground transport

Metro

The Milan Metro Line 4 connects the airport to the city centre with a travel time of about 15 minutes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Bus and coach

The airport can be reached by coach services from other places within the city. Coaches from and to Monza, Brescia and Milan Malpensa Airport are also available.<ref name="groundtransport"/>

The ATM bus 73 used to serve a route from Piazza Duomo in the city centre to the Airport, as well as San Felice. The urban section of the line was cut to only serve the neighborhood of Forlanini when the M4 metro opened, and the line was subsequently renamed to the 973.In November 2024, service was reintroduced back along the former route to Piazza Cinque Giornate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other bus lines also serve Linate, including the ATM 901 and 903, and the suburban buses Z509 and K511.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Car

The airport is located on Viale Enrico Forlanini next to its intersection with Autostrada A51 (exit 6 Aeroporto Linate). A51 is part of the city's highway ring, so the airport can be reached from any direction.<ref name="groundtransport">milanolinate-airport.com – Directions and parking retrieved 26 June 2016</ref>

Incidents and accidents

• On 6 December 1948, an Avio Linee Italiane (ALI) Douglas DC-3 crashed on takeoff in fog. All seven occupants died.<ref>Template:ASN accident</ref>
• On 8 October 2001, during severe fog Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 686, bound for Copenhagen Airport, collided with a business jet which had inadvertently taxied onto the runway in use. This collision later resulted in criminal and legal proceedings against 11 staff, including an air traffic controller, flight safety officials and management officials from the airport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> All 114 people on both aircraft were killed, as well as four people on the ground. The Linate Airport disaster remains the deadliest air disaster in Italian history.
• On 1 June 2003, a Learjet 45 operated by Eurojet Italia crashed shortly after takeoff because of birdstrikes affecting both engines and loss of control attempting an emergency landing back at Linate. Both pilots were killed.<ref>Template:ASN accident</ref>
• On 15 June 2005, a light aircraft safely landed on taxiway 'T' after its pilot had mistaken it for runway 36R. Following that incident, a safety recommendation was issued.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It suggested the use of different numbers to help differentiate between runways.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This change was enacted at the beginning of July 2007, when 18R/36L became 17/35 and 18L/36R became 18/36.
• On 3 October 2021, a privately owned Pilatus PC-12 that had just taken off from Linate Airport crashed into an empty building, killing all eight passengers and crew on board. The plane was heading for Olbia on the island of Sardinia, but it came down soon after takeoff on the outskirts of the city near the metro station at San Donato Milanese, near Milan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The victims included businessman Dan Petrescu, one of the wealthiest people in Romania at the time; his wife, his son, and five others, including a one-year-old baby.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several empty parked cars caught fire after the crash near the metro station, emergency workers said. Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames rising from the building, which was reportedly under reforms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:ASN