Passenger traffic

Ranking of the main European airports/airport systems in terms of passenger traffic volumes - 2018 (1,000 pax)*

* Including transits
Source: SEA, ACI Europe

The Milan airports are among the main European airport systems, with over 34 million passengers transported in 2018. In particular, the Milanese system ranks 2nd in Italy and 10th in Europe in terms of passenger traffic volumes.

During 2018, our airports achieved an increase of 2,208,549 passengers (+7.0%) and 12,676 movements (+4.7%) over 2017. Regarding Malpensa Airport, the increase came in at 11.5% for passengers and 8.7% for aircraft movements. However, Linate Airport recorded a decrease in both passengers (-3.3%) and aircraft movements (-2.6%).

Aviation Business performance indicators of the SEA airport system

Malpensa

During 2018, SEA commercial aviation activities continued in Malpensa with the aim of increasing territory-serving air connectivity by acquiring new carriers and developing the activities of those already operating at the airport.

Malpensa performance was driven by the rise in traffic at Terminal 1 (+14.3%), which served 2.1 million additional passengers, and the growth recorded by easyJet in Terminal 2 (+5.6%), which reached 7.6 million passengers.

Connectivity grew by thirteen direct connections, of which eight European (Vilnius, Skopje, Faro, Lviv, Pula, Lefkada, Kaunas, and Debrecen) and five non-European (Alexandria, Hurghada, Kuwait City, Yangon and Mumbai).

Growth at Malpensa was driven not only by Ryanair (+41% pax), easyJet and the location of Air Italy’s operating base, but also, starting in May, by a “hub & spoke” connection model oriented additionally to the development of connecting flights. During the year, Air Italy activated five intercontinental connections (to New York, Miami, Bangkok, Delhi, and Mumbai) and five national connections (to Rome, Palermo, Naples, Catania, and Lamezia Terme), and announced four new long-haul destinations for the following summer (to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto and Chicago).

Regarding main traffic routes, domestic destinations grew by 29.4% (due in particular to Ryanair and Air Italy), European ones by 7.9% and non-European ones by 9.3. %, with positive results for all major geographical areas, and, in particular, for Africa (+21.4%), North America (+18.8%) and Asia (+10.1%). Among new intercontinental destinations three weekly flights to Kuwait City, an absolute novelty for Malpensa, were added by the carrier Kuwait Airways. There were also increases in services already operating on both European and non-European routes. European carriers offering more flights included Air Europa, Vueling, Eurowings, Rossiya, Air Baltic, and Wizzair, while non-European carriers increasing their offer included Thai Airways, Qatar Airways, Ethiopian Airways, Oman Air and Air Canada, the latter extending its Toronto service, for the first time, to the winter season.

Number of day time and night time movements* (arriving and departing)

The commercial policy entails constant dialogue with airlines, the pursuit of new development opportunities, with specific incentive agreements and marketing tools (e.g. ‘welcome packages’, communication initiatives, participation in international events), and participation in bilateral agreement renewal negotiations with the aim of liberalizing traffic rights and fifth freedom rights.

A major agreement was signed in 2018 with the Sultanate of Oman enabling subsequently the increase of flight frequencies operated by Oman Air on the Muscat-Milan route.

Agreements with Colombia, Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Luxembourg, Senegal and South Africa were also updated and extended, while a bilateral aeronautical agreement was signed for the first time with the Comoro Islands, Mongolia and Mozambique.

Finally, EU negotiating activity continued, under the auspices of the European Commission, which is negotiating vertical agreements between Europe and ASEAN, Azerbaijan, Armenia, UAE, Qatar, Tunisia and Turkey.

The outcome of Brexit, which to-date is unknown, will also be significant in terms of traffic rights. While a broad agreement between the EU and UK (“soft Brexit”) would not affect the use of traffic rights by both parties’ airlines, with highly similar terms to the current ones, and presumably giving rise to an association agreement that is comparable to those defined by the EU with Norway and Switzerland, the continental market’s scenario in the case of a “hard Brexit” could be somewhat different.  In the latter event and subject to a freezing period of 12 months for mutual prerogatives, in the best-case scenario individual Member States could re-negotiate new bilateral agreements with the UK. These outcomes are not currently readily foreseeable and, in any case, are such as to create a period of considerable uncertainty in relation to airlines’ investment choices and, more generally, the market development context.

Number of arriving and departing passengers

Number of passengers by origin and destination, transfer and transits

In 2018, a total of 6.3 million passengers travelled to intercontinental destinations, an increase of 8.1% over 2017.

Passenger traffic destinations from Terminal 1 - 2018

Linate

Linate traffic recorded a 3.3% decrease predominantly due to the cessation of operations by Air Berlin, following the company's bankruptcy in November 2017, the relocation to Malpensa of all Air Italy traffic, with the exception of the Olbia connection, and the shift of KLM and Air France flights to Malpensa in April 2017. Air Italy sold its slots to British Airways and Iberia, which added daily flights to London and Madrid respectively, while simultaneously reducing their offer through Malpensa. Alitalia passenger traffic remained stable in comparison with 2017, with a 4.3% increase in movements but a decrease in average passenger load factor (from 70% to 67%).

Number of arriving and departing passengers

Number of day time and night time movements* (arriving and departing)

Passengers by origin and destination, transfer and transits