Milan airports break non-aviation revenue records as long-haul travel and luxury spending surge

In a year of continued global travel growth, Milan’s airports have reported record-breaking non-aviation revenue results. As long-haul traffic continues its post-pandemic recovery, passengers are not only returning in greater numbers but also spending more on shopping, dining, and premium services.

Details on Milan airports’ non-aviation revenue

In 2024, commercial turnover from shops and restaurants reached a record €432 million, a 15.4% increase over 2023. Passenger numbers rose by 11.5% to 39.3 million, with Malpensa handling 28.7 million. Average spend per passenger grew by 3.4% to €11. Retail sales rose 15.3%, while food and beverage revenues were up 16.6%, with per-passenger spend rising 4.5%.

Malpensa Airport (MXP) saw a 17.5% airside sales increase, including duty-free and specialty retail. Passenger spend rose 5.6%. Luxury shopping remains a key revenue driver, with Terminal 1 stores up 13.9% in revenue and 14.9% in spend per passenger, largely fuelled by growing intercontinental traffic from Asia, the UAE, and North America.

Long-haul traffic increased 17%, boosted by resumed and new services. Highlights include new routes from Thai Airways (Bangkok), Hainan Airlines (Chongqing, Guiyang), Turkmenistan Airlines (Ashgabat), Air China (Chengdu), China Eastern (Xi’an), ANA (Tokyo Haneda), and Beond (Malé). Vietnam Airlines will launch Milan–Hanoi in summer 2025.

North America remains strong with 70 weekly flights and expanded services from Air Canada and Delta. New 2025 routes include Boston (Delta) and Philadelphia (American Airlines). Other additions: Air Bulgaria (Sofia), Sun Express (Antalya), Nesma Airlines (Cairo), LATAM (São Paulo), Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong), and others.

In the low-cost segment, easyJet, Wizz Air, and Ryanair expanded with new routes from Malpensa. At Linate, new services came from Vueling, Aeroitalia, Sky Alps, and ITA Airways. Following EU intervention in Lufthansa’s ITA acquisition, easyJet will gain new slots and launch flights to Frankfurt, Brussels, and more from summer 2025.

SIGN ME UP