Linate Airport

Milan Linate Airport (IATA: LIN, ICAO: LIML) is a city airport located in Milan, the second-largest city and largest urban area of Italy. It served 7,719,977 passengers in 2022 with 101,956 aircraft movements in 2022 making it one of the busiest airports in Italy. 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.^[3]

Milan Linate Airport Aeroporto di Milano-Linate
IATA: LIN ICAO: LIML
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	SEA S.p.A
Operator	SEA – Aeroporti di Milano
Serves	Milan metropolitan area
Location	Segrate and Peschiera Borromeo, Lombardy, Italy
Opened	21 October 1937; 86 years ago (1937-10-21)
Focus city for	ITA Airways
Elevation AMSL	353 ft / 108 m
Coordinates	45°26′58″N 009°16′42″E
Website	www.milanolinate-airport.com
Map
LIN/LIML Location of airport on map of Milan Show map of Milan LIN/LIML LIN/LIML (Lombardy) Show map of Lombardy LIN/LIML LIN/LIML (Italy) Show map of Italy
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 17/35 2,442 8,012 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface m ft H1 28 92 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers 7,719,977 Passenger change 21-22 77.6% Movements 101,956 Movements change 21-22 51.3% Cargo (tons) 2,353 Cargo change 21-22 24.9%
Source: AIP at EUROCONTROL[1] Statistics from Assaeroporti[2]

Together with Malpensa Airport and Bergamo Airport, it forms the Milan airport system with 42.2 million passengers in 2022, the largest airport system in Italy by number of passengers.^[4]

History

Early years

The airport was built next to Idroscalo of Milan in the 1930s when Taliedo Airport, located 1 km (0.62 mi) 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.^{[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.

Development since 2000

Since 2001, because of Linate's close proximity to the centre of Milan – only 7 km (4 mi) east of the city centre,^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]} That year, 2001, also saw a major accident at Linate with many illegal^{[citation needed]} and non-ICAO-regulation practices^{[Note 1]} and layouts part of its then operation.^{[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.^[6][7]

In July 2023, Linate Airport was named Europe's Best Airport in the 5-10 Million Passenger category by the Airport Council International.^[8]

AIRAC A10/23 (valid from 30 November 2023) has determined the new QFU of the runway in 17/35 (was earlier 18/36) due to magnetic variation, and declass of the "old" 17/35 as taxiway only.^{[citation needed]}

Facilities

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.^[9] 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.^{[citation needed]}

The airport is on level 4+ of the Airport Carbon Accreditation.^[8]

Airlines and destinations

The following airlines operate scheduled services to and from Linate Airport:^[10]

Airlines	Destinations
Aer Lingus	Dublin
AeroItalia	Alghero, Comiso,[11] Perugia, Olbia
Air Dolomiti	Frankfurt, Munich
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle
British Airways	London–Heathrow Seasonal: London–City[12][13]
Brussels Airlines	Brussels
easyJet	Amsterdam, Berlin, London–Gatwick, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Paris–Orly
Finnair	Helsinki
Iberia	Madrid
ITA Airways	Amsterdam, Bari, Brindisi, Brussels, Cagliari, Catania, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Lamezia Terme, London–City, Naples, Palermo, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Paris–Orly, Reggio Calabria, Rome–Fiumicino, Stuttgart, Trieste Seasonal: Corfu, Hamburg, Heraklion, Ibiza, Lampedusa, Malta, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Pantelleria, Rhodes Seasonal charter: Rostock[14]
KLM	Amsterdam
KM Malta Airlines	Malta[15]
Lufthansa	Frankfurt
Lumiwings	Foggia
Luxair	Luxembourg[16]
Scandinavian Airlines	Copenhagen (begins 30 March 2025),[17] Stockholm–Arlanda
Sky Alps	Ancona
Volotea	Cagliari, Olbia Seasonal: Lampedusa, Pantelleria
Vueling	Barcelona
Wizz Air	Catania (ends 26 October 2024)[18]

Statistics

Aerial view

Control tower

Linate airport in the 1930s

Annual passenger traffic at LIN airport. See Wikidata query.

Busiest domestic routes from Linate (2017)[19] 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)[20] Rank Rank var. 15-16 City Passengers Airline 1 Paris–Charles de Gaulle, France 785.308 Air France, Alitalia 2 1 Amsterdam, Netherlands 651.774 Alitalia, KLM 3 1 London–Heathrow, United Kingdom 616.402 Alitalia, British Airways 4 Frankfurt am Main, Germany 450.873 Alitalia, Lufthansa 5 6 London–Gatwick, United Kingdom 293.540 easyJet 6 1 Paris–Orly, France 237.696 Alitalia, easyJet 7 1 Brussels, Belgium 223.904 Alitalia, Brussels Airlines 8 Madrid, Spain 220.495 Iberia 9 2 Berlin–Tegel, Germany 204.124 Alitalia, Air Berlin 10 1 Düsseldorf, Germany 182.231 Alitalia, Air Berlin 11 1 London–City, United Kingdom 180.872 Alitalia, British Airways 12 Vienna, Austria 119.960 Austrian Airlines 13 Bucharest, Romania 103.718 Alitalia, Blue Air 14 Dublin, Ireland 99.335 Aer Lingus 15 Stockholm–Arlanda, Sweden 87.981 Scandinavian Airlines 16 Malta, Malta 78.030 Air Malta 17 Barcelona, Spain 66.538 Alitalia 18 Munich, Germany 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.^[21]

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.^[22]

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. Recently, plans have been set forward to reintorduce service back along the former route to Piazza Cinque Giornate.^[23] Other bus lines serve Linate as well, including the ATM 901 and 903, and the suburban buses Z509 and K511.^[24]

Car

The airport is located in 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.^[22]

Incidents and accidents

• On 6 December 1948, an Avio Linee Italiane (ALI) Douglas DC-3 crashed on takeoff in fog. All seven occupants died.^[25]
• On 8 October 2001, Linate Airport was the site of the Linate Airport disaster, when Scandinavian Airlines Flight 686 bound for Copenhagen Airport, collided with a business jet during severe fog, led the Cessna to taxi inadvertently into 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.^[26] 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.^[27]
• 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.^[28] It suggested the use of different numbers to help differentiate between runways.^[29] 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.^[30] 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.^[31][32] 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.^[33]

Notes

1. For instance, according to an English language pdf file titled "Milan Linate runway incursion", October 2001"^[5] hosted in http://www.icao.int, it pinpointed that ICAO Annex 14 was not complied; in addition ICAO Annex 1 was not fully complied.

References

1. EAD Basic
2. "Statistiche Dati di Traffico Aeroportuale Italiano".
3. "Dati di traffico - 2022" (PDF). Assaaeroporti. Associazione Italiana Gestori Aeroporti. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
4. "Statistiche Dati di Traffico Aeroportuale Italiano". Assaeroporti (in Italian). Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
5. "Milan Linate runway incursion" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2024.
6. Calder, S. (9 October 2018). "Milan Linate: One of Italy's top airports to close for three months". Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
7. Gibertini, V. (26 July 2019). "Milan's Linate Airport Temporarily Shuts Down, Flights Relocated to Malpensa". AirlineGeeks. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
8. "Milan Linate city airport wins Europe's Best Airport Award 2023". Routes. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
9. milanolinate-airport.com – Maps retrieved 23 June 2015
10. "Flight destinations from Linate | Milan Linate Airport". www.milanolinate-airport.com.
11. "Aeroitalia aggiunge Milano Linate all'operativo estivo da Comiso" [Aeroitalia adds Linate from Comiso]. travelquotidiano.com (in Italian). 1 March 2024.
12. https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/flights-and-holidays/flights/new-routes ^{[bare URL]}
13. https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/231030-uknw23
14. "Urlaub: Nonstop ans Meer! So lockt der Flughafen Rostock Hamburger an". 17 June 2022.
15. "New airline replacing Air Malta to fly on 31 March 2024". 2 October 2023.
16. "LUXAIR RESUMES MILAN LINATE SERVICE IN NW23". aeroroutes.com. 26 July 2023.
17. "SAS NS25 COPENHAGEN NETWORK EXPANSION". AeroRoutes. 18 September 2024.
18. "Wizz Air dall'inverno 2024/25 sposta da Linate a Malpensa i voli da Catania" [WIZZAIR to move flight from Catania [...] to Malpensa]. italiavola.com (in Italian). 8 August 2024.
19. "Dati di traffico 2017" [Traffic data 2017] (PDF). 10 March 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
20. "ENAC: Dati di traffico 2016" [ENAC: 2016 traffic data] (PDF). 10 March 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
21. "How to get to Linate by Underground". Milano Linate Airport. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
22. milanolinate-airport.com – Directions and parking retrieved 26 June 2016
23. "La linea 73 sarà ripristinata fino a piazza 5 Giornate". MilanoToday (in Italian). Retrieved 1 October 2024.
24. "Arrivare a Linate in bus | Milano Linate". www.milanolinate-airport.com (in Italian). Retrieved 1 October 2024.
25. Accident description for I-ETNA at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 15 October 2023.
26. "Eleven on trial over Milan collision". 4 June 2003 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
27. Accident description for I-ERJC at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 15 October 2023.
28. "ANSV".
29. "ANSV pdf document" (PDF).
30. "Plane crashes into building near Milan; all 8 aboard die". ABC News. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
31. "Plane crashed in Milan: on board a Romanian billionaire headed to Olbia with his wife, son and friends". Italy24 News English. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
32. "San Donato, Dan Petrescu and the 8 victims of the crashed plane in Milan- Corriere.it". Mirpurnews. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
33. "Milan plane crash: Eight dead as private plane hits building". BBC News. 3 October 2021.

External links

Media related to Milan Linate Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Accident history for LIN at Aviation Safety Network