The Air France-KLM Group plans to offer long-haul flights with Airbus A321LR/XLR from Milan Linate Airport. However, the project is encountering some hurdles, as there are currently restrictions in favor of Malpensa. Currently it would not be possible to go on the long haul from Linate.

Actually, Malpensa Airport should have completely replaced the inner-city Linate Airport. But that never happened because the city airport is still in operation today. Only restrictions have been imposed that have been gradually relaxed over the years. Malpensa is not only far from the city, but also unpopular with both airlines and passengers.

Alitalia has repeatedly tried to establish a hub in Malpensa, but has not been successful. The successor Ita Airways concentrates its entire offering on Linate and has turned its back on the larger Malpensa Airport. However, long-haul flights are not allowed from the inner-city airport. The reason for this is that the law limits the maximum distance. This applies to all carriers and is intended to “protect” Malpensa.

Air France-KLM boss Ben Smith said at a conference held by Airlines for Europe that the group he leads plans to operate non-stop flights between Milan-Linate and New York. These could then be carried out with A321LR / A321XLR. But he also admitted that the legislature must first make this possible.

Currently, only flights with a maximum flight distance of 1.500 kilometers can be offered from Linate. Furthermore, large-capacity aircraft are not approved for this airport, so only single-aisle aircraft would be suitable for Ben Smith's project. In addition, there are only allowed to be 18 flight movements per hour. As a result, take-off and landing rights in Linate are in great demand.

Ben Smith hopes that restrictions on the maximum flight distance will be lifted. He announces that the company he leads will then start non-stop flights to the USA, especially New York, as quickly as possible. At the moment it is still completely unclear whether the restriction will be lifted at all. Air France-KLM is hoping that this could be “regulated” by the EU Commission as part of Lufthansa’s planned takeover of Ita Airways. The announced plans are therefore more “aviation policy” than fixed.