China Eastern’s inaugural Milan-Xi’an flight strengthens Sino-Italian air connections

The inaugural flight of China Eastern from Milan took place, marking an important milestone that confirms Malpensa’s role as a key airport and gateway for long-haul air traffic in Northern Italy. Milan is, in fact, the only city in Italy and the third in Europe to boast a direct connection with Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi.
This significant achievement is the result of collaboration between ENAC and CAAC, the latest in a long series, as it marks the 6th new route from Milan Malpensa to China launched in the last 12 months (serving a total of 11 airports with 37 weekly frequencies).

The launch of this flight marks a particularly important year for Sino-Italian relations and for Malpensa Airport. Italy’s inclusion in the list of 11 European countries granted visa-free entry (for a stay of 15 days) is a powerful stimulus for outbound tourism from our country, especially to a destination like Xi’an, rich in history and culture, and home to the famous Terracotta Army, one of the most visited archaeological sites in the world.

This connection coincides with the 700th anniversary of Marco Polo’s death and symbolically evokes the restoration of a modern Silk Road that once again links its historic departure city, Xi’an, with Italy.

For Milan Malpensa Airport, China is the second-largest long-haul market by traffic volume, with a daily average of over 1,000 Chinese passengers departing. China’s growth fits into a very positive trend for Milan Malpensa Airport. Both airports managed by SEA, Malpensa and Linate, are registering record numbers since the beginning of the year, with the highest traffic volumes ever: 25.8 million passengers in the first 8 months of 2024 (+9% vs 2019 and +11% vs 2023).