Milan airports set revenue record as long-haul travel and retail surge in 2024

Milan’s airport system has posted record-breaking non-aviation revenues, reflecting the global rebound in long-haul travel and rising passenger appetite for retail and premium services.

In 2024, the commercial sector (shops and restaurants) generated an all-time-high turnover of €432 million – a 15.4% increase over 2023. Passenger traffic rose by 11.5%, hitting a record 39.3 million travellers. Average passenger spend climbed to €11, up 3.4% year on year.

Meanwhile retail and food and beverage (F&B) segments saw double-digit gains. Shop sales rose 15.3% with a 3.1% increase in spend per passenger, while F&B sales grew 16.6%, with spending per traveller up 4.5%. Malpensa Airport’s airside retail stood out, with sales up 17.5% and spending up 5.6%. Luxury retail at Terminal 1 surged 13.9% in revenue, with per-passenger spend jumping 14.9%, buoyed by long-haul growth from Asia, the United Arab Emirates, and North America.

Long-haul traffic rose 17% amid restored pre-pandemic routes and new links, notably with Asia. New services include ANA (Tokyo Haneda), Thai Airways (Bangkok), and Hainan Airlines (Chongqing, Guiyang). North American connectivity remains robust with around 70 weekly flights, while new transatlantic routes from Delta and American Airlines are due in 2025.

Low-cost carriers expanded aggressively. Wizz Air, Ryanair, and easyJet added routes across Europe and North Africa. At Linate, extended slot availability and EU remedy slots from the ITA-Lufthansa deal paved the way for new easyJet routes from summer 2025.

Malpensa closed the year with 28.7 million passengers, reinforcing its role as a major hub for both legacy and low-cost traffic.

Wego recently highlighted the most popular international travel destinations of 2025.