Milan Malpensa International Airport — Ferno (VA), Italy

About 45 kilometers northwest of central Milan, near the town of Ferno, Milan Malpensa International Airport carries the code MXP and handles a volume of traffic that its outlying location might not suggest. The airport's modern era effectively began in 1998 with a major expansion project intended to establish it as Alitalia's primary intercontinental hub, though the carrier's later restructuring and eventual shift of focus reshaped that original plan considerably. Today MXP functions as the main hub for ITA Airways alongside a significant cargo operation and substantial service from international carriers connecting northern Italy's industrial and fashion-driven economy to destinations across the globe. Two main terminals divide traffic between different carrier alliances, and the airport works in tandem with Milan's smaller, more central Linate airport to handle the metropolitan area's total demand. Lombardy region, with Milan as its financial and design capital, relies heavily on Malpensa for both business and tourism traffic.