Volandia at Milan Malpensa Airport

Updated: October 2026 – Between pine forest, the banks of the Ticino and northern Italy’s largest airport stands a row of old brick factory halls. Here Gianni Caproni built his first aircraft at the beginning of the 20th century; today Volandia, Italy’s big aviation museum, is housed here. For you as a spotter that is a rare combination: DC-3, DC-9 and MD-80 in the hall, Italian jets from the G.91 to the M-346 – and above the roof the long-haul and cargo jets of Malpensa.

This page shows you what to expect, what you actually see of the airport, how to get there without a car and how to combine the visit with a spot at the fence.

From the Malpensa heath to the museum

The history of the place begins long before the commercial airport. In 1910 the Caproni Ca.1, the first aircraft of aviation pioneer Gianni Caproni, took off on the heath near Malpensa. Around this flight, the workshops of the Officine Aeronautiche Caproni arose in Vizzola Ticino, where aircraft were built for decades. Later the site went to the helicopter division, which via Agusta and AgustaWestland now belongs to Leonardo.

The idea of an aviation museum at this location was presented in November 2006 at a conference in Somma Lombardo. The newly founded Fondazione Museo dell’Aeronautica bought the former Caproni workshops from AgustaWestland, and public bodies contributed to the renovation. Volunteers took on a large part of the work. On May 8, 2010, Volandia opened to the public.

Since then the museum has grown step by step. In 2012 a separate section for civil aviation with the DC-3 was added, in 2017 the presidential DC-9, in 2018 an MD-80, in 2019 a space pavilion with planetarium and a Yak-40 in the outdoor area, and in 2020 an F-104 Starfighter from Berlin and the second prototype of the M-346.

What awaits you in the halls

Volandia is divided into several areas: an introduction to the forms of flight, the fixed-wing aircraft, the rotary-wing aircraft, the space pavilion, drones, flying models and a children’s area. For spotters three focal points are especially exciting.

Civil aviation. The Douglas DC-3 is said to be the only airworthy DC-3 publicly displayed in Italy. If you are interested in the history of the type, you will find the background in the article on the Douglas DC-3. Next to it stand the former presidential aircraft of the type DC-9 and an MD-80 registered I-SMEL. The MD-80 family shaped Italian domestic traffic for decades, not least at Alitalia. A Fokker F27 and a Yak-40 round out the line-up.

Italian jets. Here the region’s industrial history takes center stage: Fiat G.91, Aermacchi MB-326 and MB-339, SIAI-Marchetti S.211, AMX and the second prototype of the M-346. From the Cold War come the MiG-15, MiG-21, F-86 Sabre, de Havilland Vampire and an F-104 Starfighter.

Helicopters. Because the region has been a center of helicopter building for decades, the rotary-wing section gets a lot of space. You see Bell types like the Bell 47 and the Bell 206, a CH-47 Chinook, Leonardo types like the AW109 and AW139 and, with the AW609, a tiltrotor aircraft that stands in the section on the future of flight.

There is also a collection of more than 1,200 aircraft models, the museum on the designer Flaminio Bertoni, a space pavilion with planetarium and models of the Saturn V and Soyuz, as well as flight simulators. The Bertone car collection, which stood in its own pavilion from 2018, has, according to current information, moved to Turin.

What you really see of the airport

Milan Malpensa has two parallel runways in a north–south direction, 17L/35R and 17R/35L, both 3,920 meters long. Volandia lies west of them, right next to Terminal 1, and is a good kilometer from the western runway 17R/35L. In between lie terminal, apron and taxiway areas.

That has consequences for your expectations: you do not see taxiing traffic and touchdowns from here. What you get are aircraft in the air – approaches and climb-outs over the western runway, from a side perspective and at a distance. The museum does not mention an official viewing terrace onto the runway. So consider the airport a bonus between two halls, not a reason for the visit.

According to the spotter scene, Malpensa mostly operates to the north, that is, over 35L and 35R. One of the two runways is then used for landings and the other for takeoffs, and the roles change regularly. Operations to the south over the 17 runways are rarer. How to estimate the active direction beforehand is explained in the guide Understanding runway direction at airports.

Situation	What you see from Volandia	Recommendation
Takeoffs on 35L	Jets climbing out to the north, from the side and at a distance	Telephoto up to 400 mm, afternoon
Landings on 35L	Approaches from the south, shortly before touchdown	Telephoto, check sun position
Main traffic on 35R	Aircraft far away behind the terminal	move to fence spots in the east
Operations over the 17 runways	little of use	Museum day, airport later

What flies over Malpensa

Malpensa is Italy’s largest cargo airport and, after Rome, one of the country’s most important passenger airports. In 2024 the airport handled more than 28 million passengers and about 730,000 tonnes of cargo. For the sky above Volandia that means: plenty of variety.

• Low-cost and Europe: easyJet operates one of its largest bases at Malpensa. In addition there are Ryanair and Wizz Air with narrowbody jets such as the Airbus A320neo, the A321neo and the Boeing 737-800.
• Italian airlines: Neos flies leisure and long-haul destinations from Malpensa, and ITA Airways connects the airport with Rome.
• Long-haul: Emirates and Qatar Airways, among others, bring widebodies such as the Boeing 777-300ER and the Airbus A350-900 to Milan.
• Cargo: Cargolux Italia, DHL Aviation and FedEx Express have important operations at Malpensa. Freighters like the Boeing 747-8F and the 777F are part of everyday life. How to recognize them is explained in Identifying cargo aircraft.

Which types exactly fly changes with every flight schedule. Check beforehand which airlines are using widebody equipment on your visit day.

Light and photography in the museum

In the halls artificial light determines the picture. A fast standard zoom matters more here than focal length, and you will more often work at higher ISO. Because many aircraft stand close together, clear full-length shots are difficult. Concentrate on details such as engines, cockpit areas, liveries and registrations, or use a wide-angle lens to show an aircraft with the historic hall as a backdrop.

Outside, the museum lies west of the runways, so looking toward the airport you face east. In the morning you shoot in that direction into the light, and in the afternoon the sun is behind you. For the exhibits in the outdoor area their respective orientation matters – a lightly overcast day saves you a lot of planning here.

For aircraft over the western runway you need reach. With 400 mm on full frame you get a narrowbody jet into the frame usably at this distance, though for frame-filling shots it is not always enough. More on the right focal length is in the article Lens and focal length for plane spotting. On warm days the long distance over asphalt also causes heat shimmer.

Getting there: train, walk and car

Volandia is one of the few large aviation museums you can reach without a car with no trouble. The Malpensa Express connects Milano Cadorna, Milano Centrale and Milano Porta Garibaldi with Terminal 1. According to the museum, there you go up from the underground station to the departures level, go out at Exit 17, follow the walkway toward the car park and cross a pedestrian bridge to the museum grounds. The museum estimates 10 to 15 minutes to the ticket desk.

By car you take the A8 Milan–Varese. Either you take the Busto Arsizio exit and follow the SS336 toward Malpensa, or you leave the motorway at the Somma Lombardo – Case Nuove exit and follow the signs. At the museum there is a free car park. If you are traveling via Milan anyway, the airports Linate and Bergamo can also be built into a spotting trip – tips in the article Planning a spotting vacation.

What a good day at Volandia looks like

If you are unsure about older types, the guide Identifying vintage aircraft in the sky helps. Brand new to the hobby? Then start with Plane spotting for beginners.

Volandia in comparison

If you want to continue a museum tour in Italy, the Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare in Vigna di Valle on Lake Bracciano has the Italian Air Force’s big collection. Volandia complements it with a civil focus, helicopter tradition and proximity to a major commercial airport.

In a European comparison, Volandia is most reminiscent of museums that are also directly at an airport: the Aviodrome in Lelystad with its walk-through 747 or Aeroscopia in Toulouse next to the Airbus plant. Not far from Malpensa, on the other side of the Alps, the Flieger Flab Museum in Dübendorf shows Swiss military aviation.

Rules in the museum and at the airport

In the museum the operator’s house rules apply. Do not climb on exhibits, respect barriers and be considerate of other visitors, especially on busy family days. Dogs are welcome, only the children’s play area is off limits to them.

Verdict

Volandia is not a classic spotter’s spot but a museum with an airport as its neighbor. Its strength lies in the halls: the historic Caproni workshops, an airworthy DC-3, presidential DC-9 and MD-80, plus Italian jets and helicopters you can hardly find in one place otherwise. The fact that you can reach all this by train and a ten-minute walk from Terminal 1 makes the visit especially convenient.

You experience the airport from here only at a distance. Anyone who wants frame-filling takeoffs and landings combines the museum visit with a spot at the fence – then a day in Somma Lombardo becomes a complete Malpensa day.