Milan Malpensa Airport is the main airport serving the Italian city of Milan, and the second busiest in the country. Millions of passengers pass through Malpensa every year to fly from Milan, or to visit the spectacular scenery of northern Italy or Milan itself, one of the world’s fashion capital cities. Whatever your reason for flying into or out of the city, you will find everything you need to know in our Milan Malpensa Airport Guide!
Malpensa is one of three airports that serve the city of Milan and is the largest in north Italy. Milan Malpensa is around 50km northwest of Milan. The other two airports are Milan Bergamo Airport, which is a hub for Ryanair and 50km northwest, and Milan Linate Airport, which is within Milan itself but does not handle intercontinental flights. As such, Malpensa finds itself as Milan’s busiest airport allowing travel to and from far and wide.
Although Milan Malpensa allows long-haul connections to cities such as New York and Tokyo with the Italian flag-carrier airline, Alitalia, it is short-haul destinations that make up much of the airport’s routes. That is mainly thanks to the low-cost carrier, Easyjet, who use Malpensa as its secondary base (after Gatwick) with over 70 destinations. With Italy being a popular destination for summer breaks and skiing holidays, it’s no wonder Milan Malpensa is such an important airport for the country.
– An interactive level by level map for each terminal with 3D options
WiFi: Free WiFi is available throughout the airport. Connect to the “MALPENSA FREE WI-FI” network.
Apps: Milan Malpensa Airport has a free app available on both AndroidandiOS.
Milan Malpensa Airport Facilities
The facilities at Milan Malpensa Airport will allow all travellers to get by with access to everything they need, although there is nothing particularly special or exciting available. All the usual facilities are at Malpensa, such as ATM’s, currency conversion, banking facilities, cafes, bars, restaurants, duty-free shopping, WiFI, luggage wrapping, meeting rooms, mobile device charging stations, children’s play areas, airport lounges, and an airport chapel.
For any passengers who are looking for a quicker or more attentive service, then a VIP concierge facility is available. This service will allow those happy to pay for the premium experience to receive a welcome when arriving, assistance when transferring or checking in, lounge access, porter service, and Fast Track access through security. Further information is available when emailing the service provider. For those who are looking to save time, the Fast Track service is available in a single purchase from €9 so passengers can spend less time queuing at Malpensa Airport.
Sleeping options are plentiful at Milan Malpensa ranging from sleeping pods to an in-airport hotel, to several hotels on the hotel premises. The sleep pods are very much no frills. There are no toilet or shower facilities included with customers having to use the facilities in the airport. For those looking only for somewhere to sleep, this is a decent solution for €9 per hour, and discounts on the website of the provider, Zzzleepandgo.
As for a standard hotel experience, the Sheraton Hotel is in Terminal 1. Terminal 2 has a MOXY hotel a brief walk across from the exit too. Other hotels are in the area with shuttle buses (check with the hotel for any charges are applicable). To check the prices for your dates of travel, enter them here, and you will find the best rates.
Shower facilities are not available for free at Milan Malpensa Airport. There are also no ‘on-demand’ shower options for a fee leaving any passengers looking to freshen up needing to use either a hotel (if arriving) or the airport lounges which have shower facilities (if departing).
Luggage storage is available in Terminal 1, with prices calculated on a 24-hour rate. It is €3.50 for a small item or €4 for a larger piece with the lockers available from 6AM to 10PM in the arrivals area at T1.
Milan Malpensa Airport Terminal Layout
Milan Malpensa Airport has two separate terminal buildings, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. They are a short distance from one another with one of the airports two runways between them. There are no walkways between the two leaving passengers with the sole option of a shuttle bus to transfer between each. Terminal 2 is the older of the two, with Terminal 1 opening in the l ate 90s and having additional construction with additional concourses into the 2010s.
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There are reports of shuttles between the two terminals being infrequent and inconsistent. Travellers should make sure they travel to the correct terminal when making their way to Malpensa Airport. The shuttles can be overly crowded or unable to take everyone in the queue leading to rushing passengers needing to take a taxi between terminals at their own cost.
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 and Milan Malpensa Airport has three concourses for different flight destinations. The three sections are known as Terminal 1A, 1B, and 1C, or boarding satellites A, B1, and B2, though they are just piers where flights depart. When entering the terminal, concourse A/satellite A is to the right, B/satellite B1 in the middle and C/satellite B2 on the left.
Terminal 1 is the larger of the two at Malpensa and offers many shopping options in the airside departure area for passengers to browse and buy. For those with departure gates of A24-A38, A50-A61 and B26-B34, these are on level 0, in the main terminal building. Gates A1-A13 are in the A satellite to the right serving domestic and Schengen destinations. A81-A83, B1-B13 are in the centre satellite for non-Schengen and long-haul destinations. Gates B35-B44 are in satellite B2 to the left for additional intercontinental flights and those to the USA and Israel.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 doesn’t have the same range of facilities that Terminal 1 enjoys so passengers shouldn’t arrive too early. Milan Malpensa Airport has such a large Easyjet presence that the airline has exclusive use of Terminal 2. Once clear of security, the terminal loops around with gates across two levels. The duty-free shopping area after security is where to find most conveniences. Gates D1-D5 are to the left of duty-free when first passing through security. All E gates are in the same corridor following duty-free with all D gates under D15 on the higher level, and all others following the E gates.
Milan Malpensa Airport Connections
Malpensa Airport serves the Italian city of Milan, but it also acts as a gateway to Lombardy, the Italian Alps and north Italy as a whole. Nonetheless, for many Milan will be the city they will be looking to get to when flying into Malpensa. The airport has many connections to Milan despite being 50km away. Passengers will easily be able to make their way to the city by road and rail.
Bus: Terravision has one of several bus routes to and from Milan Malpensa and Milan. The service takes passengers to Milan Centrale Station with one-way tickets from €10. More information is on the Terravision website. There is also the Malpensa Shuttle service that passengers can make use of from Terminal 2 which will also take passengers to Milano Centrale for €10, with a return for €16. Tickets are purchasable from within the arrivals area or on the official website. Travellers can expect a 45-60 minute journey depending on the time of travel.
Train: Rail connections are now available at both terminals following the completion of Terminal 2’s station. The train is a fast and convenient mode of travel to get to Milan, in particular the Malpensa Express service. There are two routes; one to Milano Cadorna, and one to Milano Centrale. Travelling to Cadorna will take approximately 45 minutes and Centrale about 60 with hourly departures. The journey cost for a one-way service on either route is €13, or a €20 return ticket is available online for use within 30 days.
Car: For those planning on exploring the Lombardy region further, or perhaps just for more freedom in Milan, car hire is available at Milan Malpensa Airport. Each terminal has car hire companies for travellers to choose from. Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty and Sixt are present at both, as they usually are at airports. There are also several local companies such as Maggiore, Locauto, Sicily by Car, and Leasys who have a presence at the airport. A full list of companies is available on the Malpensa Airport website as well as which terminal to find each.
Taxi: Although convenient, taking a taxi to the city is an expensive method of travel from Milan Malpensa Airport. Expect to pay €90 for a single journey thanks to the fixed-fee model that the Milanese companies participate in. Note, however, that there are non-Milan based taxis in operation which may offer a metered journey instead. The cost may be slightly cheaper if traffic conditions are favourable, but there is no guarantee. Uber and other ridesharing apps are also available and may be cheaper, though not necessarily by much due to the distance of travel required by the driver.
Connections
For most passengers with a connecting flight at Milan Malpensa Airport, they will not have to worry about how long the connection time is. That is because the airline will consider any transfer time when scheduling flight connections for passengers journeys. However, this is only the case when a traveller has purchased their tickets directly with the airline or through an Online Travel Agency (or an OTA). Suppose there are any unforeseen circumstances, such as a flight delay, which result in the passenger missing a connection. In that case, the airline will have to provide alternative transport or accommodation at no cost to the passenger.
In other cases where a traveller has two separate tickets purchased independently, or with an OTA advertising a ‘self-transfer’ then they will not enjoy the same protection. In these cases, the passenger will have to consider both flights as independent journeys instead of a single one with a connection. This situation means that any checked luggage will need collecting at Milan and checked in once again if the passenger is travelling with any. If one of the flights is with Easyjet, then the passenger must also change airport terminal in addition to having to check-in once more.
With the shuttle services between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 at Milan Malpensa being busy and not adhering to a strict timetable, this could add significant delays. If the transfer is within the same terminal, then passengers should allow 2 hours to make their way through security to check-in and return airside. If connecting to or from an Easyjet flight, allow for an extra hour on top of this for the transfer between terminals too.
Milan Malpensa Airport Lounges
Despite being the second-largest airport in Italy, Milan Malpensa is not full of airport lounges. Alitalia has a presence and the Milanese airport group, SEA, has several lounges for passengers to enjoy. However, Terminal 2 has no lounges available. This omission means Easyjet customers will need to either make use of the single ‘Club S.E.A. Sala Respighi’ lounge which is landside (i.e. before security) in Terminal 1. From there, they will need to make their way over to Terminal 2, which can take some time depending on the business of the shuttle service.
Terminal 1 Lounges
Casa Alitalia Piazza San Babila (this lounge has shower facilities) Located in the non-Schengen area. Only for Alitalia passengers (not other SkyTeam airlines)
Lufthansa Lounge Located towards the A gates area to the right when passing security
The Emirates Lounge (this lounge has shower facilities) Located near gates B50-B59
Club S.E.A. Sala Montale (this lounge has paid for shower facilities) Located at satellite B/terminal 1B
Club S.E.A. Sala Monteverdi (this lounge has paid for shower facilities) Located up the escalator near to gates A1-A10
Club S.E.A. Sala Respighi Located to the right of the main check-in area
Club S.E.A. Sala Pergolesi (this lounge has paid for shower facilities) Located near to gates B1-B10
