Spotting at Milan Linate

By Alessandro Ambrosetti from Rome, Italy (EI-DSL – Airbus A320 – Alitalia) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

The older and much smaller airport of Milan. Linate is situated closer to the city than the larger Malpensa Airport, however it has always been limited by space and facilities. When Malpensa opened its new terminal in 2000 much of Linate’s traffic moved there, however Alitalia has returned with a broader range of short- and medium-haul routes. Linate handled almost 10 million passengers in 2015.

The airport is still popular with a number of carriers from around Europe who favour bringing business passengers to the heart of the city. Some low-cost airlines and a few cargo operators also use the airport. Because of its closer proximity to the centre of Milan, Linate is also popular with business jets.

The terminal building is fairly antiquated now, and on the opposite side of the runway is a ramp for executive and government aircraft, as well as a smaller general aviation runway.

Airlines Serving Linate

• Aer Lingus
• Air Berlin
• Air France
• Air Malta
• Alitalia
• Blue Air
• Blue Panorama
• British Airways
• Brussels Airlines
• easyJet
• Iberia
• KLM
• Lufthansa
• Meridiana
• Niki
• SAS

Most airlines use Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 series aircraft, along with regional jets. Linate also has a decent amount of biz jet traffic.

By Markus Eigenheer alias flybyeigenheer [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Milan Linate Spotting Locations

Perimeter Road (1)
From the terminal, head in the direction of Milan and then take a left towards Linate village. This side of the airport is used by the military and government, and you will eventually pass a number of spots where views across the airfield can be had along Via Baraca and Via Milano, which encircles the southern end of the main runway. Most aircraft can be read off from here with a good pair of binoculars. Various opportunities for photography can be had around this area.

Cemetery (2)
One of the most popular spots around the perimeter is the cemetery. After passing the end of runway 36, turn left on to Via Walter Tobagi and pass through the industrial estate. Eventually, turn left at the T-junction on to Via IV Novembre and follow to the end. The car park next to the cemetery fronts the perimeter fence. Aircraft using the runway and taxiway are at extremely close quarters here. The terminal cannot be seen, however.