Connectivity

Worldwide and European connectivity index

According to the latest available data, in the ranking of the 30 best globally connected airports (selected from a network comprising 3,908 airports worldwide), Malpensa confirmed its 28th positioning, with a connectivity index of 2.58, an improvement over the previous year’s 2.69. As one of the most important airport structural parameters, the index illustrates, starting from a given airport, the average number of flights needed to reach all the other airports in the considered network (worldwide or European). At the European connectivity level (in reference to a sample of 480 continental airports), Malpensa places 29th, losing 5 positions in the ranking compared to the previous year, while maintaining the index unaltered at 1.90. Linate however occupies the 111th position in the ranking of continental accessibility, with an index of 3.03, down on the previous year (2.17).

Connectivity and travel times

An indicator which provides a more accurate measure of the level of accessibility to Europe by individual airports is based on the minimum travel times to reach other European airports.

Travel time includes both the flight time and the waiting time at interim airports (in the case in which more than one flight is necessary to reach a particular destination).

For absolute comparison purposes, it is possible to reach 391 European airports in a day with an average connection time of 249 minutes from Amsterdam Airport (the best connected European airport).

Connectivity indicators and travel times of the Milan airports

In this ranking, Malpensa Airport is the best-connected Italian airport (22nd in the European ranking) with 387 airports reached same day and average connection times of 308 minutes.

Malpensa surpasses by one position in both national and European rankings the airport of Rome Fiumicino, which connects to 384 airports with an average time of 311 minutes.

Linate airport also reports good connectivity in terms of travel times (fourth in the domestic ranking after Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino and Venice), connected with 383 airports daily, with an average time of 333 minutes.

Day trip

In addition to general European network connectivity, journey times are also of great importance, particularly for airports whose traffic consists predominantly of business customers.

This figure is particularly important for those airports principally serving business customers.

Considering the set of destinations to which it is possible to make a round-trip flight within a day (i.e. a day trip), remaining at the destinations for at least 4 hours, the airports of Frankfurt, Munich, Paris and Amsterdam lead the rankings with an ability to offer day trips to an average of 190 destinations in a maximum time of less than 700 minutes.

European network reachable through a day trip from the Milan airports

In the Milan airport system, Linate takes 13th place in the European ranking (down one from the previous year), with a network of 155 destinations and an average time of 740 minutes. Malpensa takes 15th position (an improvement over previous years), with a network of 184 destinations connected in an average time of 741 minutes.

Accessibility to European GDP

Malpensa is the only Italian airport positioned in the top 20 of the continental ranking based on the share of European GDP that can be reached in a limited time. 

The connectivity of destinations according to the travel time is more indicative of quality than connectivity measured exclusively in terms of the number of connections within the continental network.

Malpensa comes 8th in the European ranking, with 83.5% of European GDP reachable within 2 hours of travel and a further 15.6% in 2 to 4 hours.

Linate Airport is positioned immediately below Malpensa in the national ranking (25th in the European ranking), with approximately 65% of European GDP reachable within 2 hours and a further 30.6% in 2 to 4 hours.

% European GDP reachable based on flying time