Milan Linate Airport inaugurates new terminal redevelopment

Credit: SEA Milan

The renovation of Milan Linate Airport (LIN) was presented on 8 June 2021, with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, in attendance. After major redevelopment work that began in 2019, which has been completed on schedule, Milan’s city airport now has an all-new look.

After the façade makeover in 2018, the terminal’s architectural and ambience restyling project began. The aim was to give Milan Linate Airport a new identity that would characterise the spaces, atmosphere and materials in order to improve the traveller experience and satisfaction of passengers.

For the operational areas, the project was inspired by the guidelines of neuroarchitecture, which is neuroscience applied to architecture, aiming to create spaces capable of fostering wellbeing while reducing stress and anxiety to a minimum.

Work on the Linate terminal involved the architectural and functional redesign of the check-in area, security filters and duty-free area. The terminal has also been expanded, with a new area developed across three levels, including new gates numbered one to eight, a new shopping arcade and a new food court.

The check-in area has been redesigned with a double-height ceiling and with the inclusion of plants overlooking the first floor, giving the environment a ‘green’ touch. The existing suspended ceilings have been replaced with wood-effect baffle slats alternating with plasterboard sails, which enhance the perception of the surrounding space. An integrated lighting system emphasises the curved lines of the sails and the LED profiles alternating with the baffles.

The check-in desks have been redesigned to identify the SEA Milan – operator of Milan Linate Airport – brand, featuring a design with soft edges, covered in brass. Ad hoc lighting has been arranged above the desks with an overlying band, in line with the design of the desks. 

Credit: SEA Milan

The area dedicated to security filters has also been redesigned and was opened in October 2020. The architectural elements, colours and materials used for the walls, floors and ceilings were chosen to reduce the stress that security checks can cause passengers as much as possible. Not only that, but latest generation technologies have also been incorporated into the security area to simplify and speed up security checks.

New EDS-CB (Explosive Detection Systems for Cabin Baggage) machines using CT technology have been installed. The high efficiency of the system allows for screening without the need to separate electronics and liquids from carry-on baggage, further enhancing the travel experience.

The innovation of Milan Linate’s security system begins from the moment that passengers check-in: with the Face Boarding system, passengers can associate their biometric fingerprint with their ID and boarding pass, and they now no longer have to show any ID until they board, speeding up transit through the various checkpoints.

The real gem of this redesign is the new terminal area. The old part of the single-storey terminal was demolished to create a new three-storey building with a total area of 10,000m² (approximately 3,000m² per floor). The enlargement of the boarding lounges and the new shopping gallery, with a food court created in a double-height space surmounted by a ‘sail’, will allow for a new and more comfortable circulation of passengers.

In order to create a sense of place in tune with Milan, which has always been at the forefront of Italian design in the world, a partnership has been set up with the Triennale Design Museum. This has enabled the installation of historical works by famous Italian designers along the passenger flow, enriching the airport’s cultural value and giving more of an identity to the airport terminal, which has historically been considered a ‘non-place’.

The new terminal area has obtained a BREEAM In-Use ‘Excellent’ certification, the environmental certification for buildings constructed according to sustainability principles. The criteria for which the new structure has obtained this recognition are energy saving; user health and wellbeing; attention to the use of resources (water, building materials, land consumption); waste management; and environmental pollution.

The total investment, including technological innovation (Face Boarding, Smart Security and Self Bag Drop), amounts to €40 million.