Malpensa, Sea's plan to expand Terminal 1

Major works at Malpensa. At the centre of attention of Sea, the airport management company, is Terminal 1 (T1), which before the Milan Olympics was the subject of major redevelopment works for an investment of around 30 million euro. A package of works that saw the installation of new automatic doors, the replacement of external columns, the switch to LED lighting, and the creation of a new parking area for buses. But Sea's commitment to Malpensa Terminal 1 did not end with the Olympic event. The manager's plan is to further expand T1 with the aim of strengthening intercontinental traffic at the airport. This is how the T1XL project was born, i.e., the extra large terminal, which will require a further investment of about 85 million euros from Sea. Sea sources interviewed by Il Sole 24 Ore explain: 'The ambition is to present Terminal 1 as a modern, efficient and internationally competitive structure.

In summary: the project involves the northward expansion of T1, with the construction of 13,350 square metres of new space and the redevelopment of 28,650 square metres of existing areas, with a focus on infrastructure for non-Schengen flights. The aim is to increase the airport's capacity to handle intercontinental flows and improve the experience of international passengers.

The intervention will introduce new passport control areas, with an increase in manual checkpoints and automatic gates, as well as the expansion of baggage claim areas and the reorganisation of passenger flows. A new waiting area is also planned for non-Schengen departures, equipped with dedicated services for travellers. One of the main objectives of the extra large project is also to strengthen the airport's commercial offer. The departure level will accommodate 21 new retail spaces with a total area of about 2,900 square metres. A new shopping arcade will be built before the passport control, extending the existing shopping corridor and offering more shopping and resting opportunities for passengers. On the arrivals level, the baggage claim area dedicated to non-European flights is to be expanded, with the installation of three new belts, bringing the total from five to eight. A belt dedicated to oversized baggage will also be introduced, with the aim of reducing manual operations and improving the efficiency of airport operations.

Meanwhile, from Monday 16 March until next 9 May, one of Malpensa's two runways (runway 35L/17R) will be temporarily closed to flight operations to allow extraordinary maintenance and technological innovation of the infrastructure (the work also includes resurfacing the runway). During the period of the works, Malpensa airport will remain regularly operational thanks to the use of the other runway, with a reduction in the airport's overall capacity. Part of the traffic will be diverted to the city airport of Milan Linate. The route change has been surgically planned: it will not affect intercontinental routes, which will continue to operate regularly from Malpensa, but will only involve Schengen area trips served by narrow-body and single-aisle aircraft. These are in fact the only aircraft compatible with the size and infrastructure of the Milanese city airport. To absorb this wave of flights, the Ministry of Transport has granted a special exemption at Linate: the maximum capacity will rise to 24 movements per hour, exceeding the current limit set by decree at 18. At Malpensa, the airport structure will return to normal from 10 May, with the reopening of the renovated runway at full capacity.