INTRODUCTION
As I returned home after summer vacation I took some time to plan some visits to my family for the rest of 2025
On the 23rd August I booked the following weeknds:
13rd-14th September in Pescara, flying from Malpensa with Ryanair
7th-9th November in Rome, flying from Malpensa with Aeroitalia
5th-8th December in Rome, flying from Linate with ITA Airways
I payed 120 euros each for the first and the third one, while for the Aeroitalia flights I used 105 euros of the remaining 140 in the coupon I got last May
Unfortunately, as I reported in the last review, I lost the 13rd September flight to Pescara, "forcing" me to fly to Rome the following weekend
(The following screen reports 120 euros as total due to the fact I took it in the following days, I put it to shows the flight times)
Leaving from MXP at 18:40 would have meant getting two hours of work permit to leave office at 15. From that time I'd have arrived in MXP around 16:30 where I would have left my car to my friend's house so she could bring me to the terminal before 17:00
ROUTING
Aeroitalia - Milan MXP > Rome FCO - Embraer E-190
Aeroitalia - Rome FCO > Milan MXP - Embraer E-190
Some stats:
22nd flight of 2025 (as of November)
Overall great-circle distance flown in 2025 (as of the reported flight): 32.305 km | 17.443 nm
4th time on MXP-FCO route
BEFORE THE FLIGHT
Aeroitalia allows online check-in 24 hours before the flight
I was assigned an aisle seat (2-2 on the Embraer), however I was confident on getting a window one
THE FLIGHT
Around 15 I left my work place to go straight to Malpensa
The motorway was busy, but still acceptable in term of traffic
Around 16:45 I parked my car under my friend's house, located 10 minutes driving to the airport
Sun was setting with beautiful shades
Around 17 she drove me at Milan-Malpensa "Silvio Berlusconi" Airport
The departure hall was not that crowded
My Malpensa's favorite activity: plane spotting from the check-in hall
My plane landed from Rome-FCO moments after I approached the window
Neos Boeing 787 at the gate before departing to Zanzibar-ZNZ
One hour before scheduled departure I made my way to the security inspection
Security took me less than 10 minutes, it was made quick by fast lanes
Making my way to the gate area
The food court was pretty busy
By the time I got there my boarding gate was announced
Gate A27 is located on the ground floor, in an anonymous boarding lounge
Many flights were departing at the same time, making the space full
No seat was available
Moments after 18 the gate was opened
No ID check was requested due to a new regulation by Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), applied to Italian and Schengen destinations
A short bus ride was needed to reach tonight's plane:
Aeroitalia Embraer ERJ-190SR, SX-PTM
First delivery on 2nd May 2008 (17.5 years old, no infos about the first flight) to Baboo. It later flew for carriers like Azul and BA CityFlyer before entering Marathon Airlines fleet
It’s leased by Aeroitalia since March 2025
Can fly 100 passengers in full-Y configuration
I flew with the same bird con MXP-FCO-MXP routes both in June and July of this year
With 6 flights (including the return of this leg) it's the plane I've flown most times
Despite being left at the bottom of the stairs, the plane didn't seem ready to board
We had to wait around 5 minutes before stepping in
Some interesting spotting occasions:
Turkish Airlines A330 and Iberia A320neo taxiing before departure to Istanbul-IST and Madrid-MAD respectively
A beautiful moon was rising
DHL 767F just landed from Leipzig-LEJ
Finally being allowed on board
The load factor was around 60%, meaning I was able to get a window seat without asking
I think the departure time is an issue on occupancy
Even if working in Milan departing at 18:40 means leaving the city around 15:30/16 (the train took one hour, plus metro to reach the station)
And this can be difficult to some people, especially compared to the proximity of an airport like Linate
Aegean A321neo sitting next to us
Exactly at the scheduled departure time we left the stand
Passing under runway 35L approach path on the way to 35R
Lining up for departure
At 19:02, twenty-two minutes after planned, the plane accelerated on the runway
Motorway A8-A26 runs a few miles north of MXP
Pointing south, with the beautiful moon lighting our flight
Following A8 motorway file approaching Milan airspace
Arese Shopping Mall (one of the largest in Europe, on the left) and Milan-North toll plaza
Milano Fair and Expo 2015 site (now called MInD - Milano Innovation District)
The typical traffic entering Milan on A4 motorway can be seen from the long red lights jam
Milan western area
San Siro stadium
CityLife District
Milan city center
The Duomo
Leaving Milan behind
Being quite tired I tried to rest a little bit
Outside was dark and the flight was eventless
Cabin was prepared for landing on time
At 19:53, twelve minutes earlier than scheduled, we touched down at Rome "Leonardo da Vinci" International Airport
UPS 767F resting at the cargo apron
Docking next to ITA Airways A320neo and Aeroitalia ATR-42
Aeroitalia 737 taxiing by as we stepped down the plane
The bus ride was pretty short, I was left at Terminal 1 around 20:20
Ten minutes after I met my parents outside the terminal and we drove home immediately
We arrived there by 21
Stay tuned for the return
FLIGHT-RADAR
Departure from MXP
Arrival at FCO
