David Rosenfeld has recently previewed his rendition of Milan Malpensa Airport (LIMC) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, serving the Milan metropolitan area with a yearly average of 26.1 million passengers.

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The site where the airport was built has more than a century of aviation history, with records dating back to 1910 when the Caproni brothers flew their Cal biplane. It became a popular prototype testing site in Italy, eventually leading to its upgrade to an actual airfield. 

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During that same period, the Caproni brothers decided to build a factory there, and Giovanni Augusta followed suit. It became the largest aircraft production center in the country.

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In the following decades, the airfield hosted two Royal Italian Air Force squadrons. 

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In September 1943, the German Luftwaffe captured the airfield, building its first concrete runway, which didn’t last long: the airfield was heavily bombed during WW2. 

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With the retreat of the German forces from Italy and the eventual end of the war, the runway was rebuilt and extended to 1,800 meters. A small terminal was built to shelter passengers and cargo from adverse weather conditions.

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Its official inauguration happened in 1948 as Aeroporto Città di Busto Arsizio, with Sabena and TWA being one of the first international carriers to serve it.

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In 1952, now under the control of the municipality of Milan, it was decided that Malpensa would become Milan’s international airport, and Linate (Milan’s other airport) would handle domestic services. 

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As Milan’s main airport, it needed a respectable terminal, which was built between 1958 and 1962. The runways were also extended and were the longest in Europe then. 

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Even though their original intent was to make Linate domestic-only, major European carriers preferred it over Malpensa because it was closer to the city center, transforming it into a secondary airport for over 20 years. 

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Things were only to change in the 1980s when Linate was forcibly downgraded to domestic, and Malpensa underwent heavy upgrade work. Construction started in 1990, and it only reopened eight years later.

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It’s an operating base for AlbaStar, easyJet Europe, Malta Air, Neos, Ryanair, and Wizz Air. Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France, Air India, AirBaltic, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, and Vueling also serve it.

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The scenery features an accurate rendition of the airport, with custom jetways, custom ground textures, and more.

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There’s no release date or pricing yet, but Threshold will keep you informed!

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