Milan Malpensa Airport

Milan Malpensa Airport was created in 1909 by the industrialists Giovanni Agusta and Gianni Caproni who had created an airfield at Cascina Malpensa to fly their prototypes; with the addition of some military structures the field grew and also became a driving school field.

In 1917 the local Defense Section operated there with Savoia-Pomilio SP.2 and from April 1918 with Savoia-Pomilio SP.3.

With the end of the Second World War, the history of Malpensa airport continues thanks to the commitment of Cavaliere Benigno Ajroldi who, with the help of industrialists in the area, took over the management in order to favor the economic development of the Altomilanese by renovating the runway used for flying. 

Officially inaugurated to civilian traffic on November 21, 1948, with the landing of a four-engine Breda BZ308, it initially took on the name of the City of Busto Arsizio airport.

On 30 August 1951 the municipality of Milan entered the company with a minority share, until 1955, when it became the majority shareholder with over 77% ownership, changing its name to Società Esercizi Aeroportuali S.p.A. - SEA and transferring the registered office from Busto Arsizio to Milan.

During 1960, all national and European flights operating at the airport were transferred to Linate Airport, therefore Malpensa became the intercontinental airport serving the city of Milan and northern Italy.

The development of the airport facility continued in 1965, when the main runway, which at the time was the longest in Europe with a length of 3 915 meters, was equipped with a Calvert approach lighting system and a system for instrument landing.

In implementation of law 449 of 22 August 1985, Terminal 1 of the Malpensa 2000 project was officially opened at the airport on 25 October 1998.

This phase sees the construction of a large airport serving intercontinental, international, national and charter flights.

The two satellites A and B respectively allow connections to destinations in the "Schengen" area and to destinations in the "Extra-Schengen" area.

Map: Milan Malpensa Airport