"Airports are new shopping destinations. And at Malpensa, more space for luxury brands."

Aside from unforeseen industry events, primarily strikes and exceptional weather events, 2024 and the first half of 2025 have been very positive for Italian and global air transport, as well as for our country's airports and the companies that manage them. Milan's Malpensa airport, in particular, is experiencing an acceleration not only in passenger and cargo traffic, but also in the commercial development of Terminal 1, as Luigi Battuello, chief commercial officer of Sea Aeroporti, explains.

Luigi Battuello, CEO of Sea

In recent decades, the world's most important airports have undergone profound transformations in their retail and dining areas. What are the latest developments at Malpensa? "We're adding new pieces almost every day, and when we reach one milestone, we focus on others. I like to say that airports are 'living organisms,' if not living ones: every day, people pass through our airports, and we strive to provide them with an ever-improving experience, whatever their reason for travel. For Terminal 1, we just achieved a goal we'd been working toward since before the Covid emergency, which erupted in February 2020: the opening of two boutiques for two of the most well-known and prestigious high-end brands, Louis Vuitton and Dior, who over the years have been very selective in their investment in airport retail."

Could Heathrow's T5 be considered a development model? "That London terminal is certainly exceptional, and Louis Vuitton has a space there that rivals its boutiques in luxury cities. But even at Malpensa, the Vuitton and Dior stores are meticulously designed, sophisticated, and welcoming, just like the other stores of the two fashion houses. I travel constantly for conferences, and it's right to draw inspiration from experiences abroad. However, I'm convinced that Malpensa doesn't need to copy anyone: we're finding our own path and the right mix of retail and dining options."

Some numbers for 2024? "In 2024, gross revenue from the retail and food sectors at Linate and Malpensa airports grew by 14.7% to over €470 million. The two airports have 30,000 square meters dedicated to shops, 99 in total, and restaurants, with 64 food and beverage outlets. The decision to focus on high-end brands, particularly at Malpensa, is also explained by another fact: the average receipt for purchases at luxury boutiques is 13 times that of other non-food retailers. This demonstrates that we are no longer under the impression that major purchases are not made at the airport. The situation has changed due to a virtuous cycle that has been triggered, we might say: national and international traffic has increased, and so has the average length of stay at the airport. Brands, both luxury and otherwise, have been successful in creating increasingly welcoming environments and collaborating with airport management companies on services, starting with tax-free travel ."

An important indicator is purchases made by non-EU citizens. Can you give us some other numbers? "In 2024, VAT refunded at Malpensa was over €140 million, from 1.4 million transactions, which in turn equates to approximately €19 billion in tax-free shopping . As for high-spending customers, based on boarding passes, we know that they are traveling to, and therefore presumably originate from, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Qatar."