Milan Malpensa Airport Runway Closure: What Travelers Need to Know (March-May 2026)

One of Milan Malpensa Airport’s two runways will be closed for nearly two months, from March 16 to May 9, 2026, for maintenance and technology upgrades. During this period, the airport will operate with reduced capacity using only its second runway, and some flights may be rerouted to Milan Linate Airport.

What’s happening at Malpensa

Runway 35L/17R will undergo extraordinary maintenance work including resurfacing the runway and taxiway areas, upgrading AVL systems (visual approach lighting), and completely replacing the lighting infrastructure with modern LED lights and a new monitoring system. The work will run 24/7 throughout the closure period as part of the airport’s regular infrastructure maintenance cycle.

ENAC (Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority) and SEA (Milan Airports operator) coordinated with ENAV, Assoclearance, and airlines to minimize disruption and maintain service continuity with the highest safety standards.

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Flight changes and Linate capacity increase

To accommodate Malpensa’s reduced capacity, some historical Malpensa traffic will be temporarily reallocated to Milan Linate Airport.

ENAC has temporarily authorized Linate to increase its operational capacity from 18 movements per hour to a maximum of 26 movements per hour (8 additional), but only for Schengen-destination flights operated by narrow-body aircraft.

As of the official announcement, actual usage of this extra capacity has been around 2 additional movements per hour during specific time slots.

Travel tips for this period

Check your booking regularly to confirm whether your flight operates from MXP (Malpensa) or has been moved to LIN (Linate) — these airports are on opposite sides of Milan. The most reliable information comes from your airline’s official communications and your booking confirmation.

Read also: Getting from Malpensa Airport to Milan Center and Best Ways to Get from Linate Airport to Milan City Center

Arriving earlier won’t prevent an aircraft delay, but it helps you avoid a different problem: missing your flight due to longer lines, last-minute gate changes, or realizing too late that your flight now departs from a different airport (MXP vs LIN).

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According to Pierluigi Di Palma, ENAC President, the absolute priority is protecting passengers while ensuring the right to mobility, limiting closure days to the minimum necessary and rescheduling flights to Linate as a concrete solution to minimize disruption. Armando Brunini, CEO of SEA Milan Airports, emphasized that these planned investments ensure long-term infrastructure strength, safety, and operational reliability, strengthening the airport’s competitiveness.