SEA Prime, which manages the general aviation infrastructure at Milan's major airports, is looking to build on its success from last year. The company, part of the SEA Group, saw a 74 percent increase in traffic in 2021 at its Milano Prime facilities at Linate and Malpensa airports following the Covid-depressed 2020 and its associated lockdowns.
So far this year that growth trend has continued, with movements up by 57 percent year-over-year and 113 percent over 2020. The increase was driven by international traffic, which climbed nearly 70 percent year-over-year and made up the majority of activity, a sharp contrast to the pandemic period that was primarily domestic.
The company is looking forward to that momentum continuing with major events such as Design Week, the Monza Grand Prix, and Fashion Week attracting visitors.
SEA Prime (Booth W101) has also begun construction of a new €10 million, 4,700-sq-m (50,600-sq-ft) hangar at Linate. “The new hangar—designed for Sirio, our long-standing customer and part of the Directional Aviation group—enhances and consolidates the Bombardier-authorized service facility, a key milestone in the expansion of Milano Prime’s services,” said SEA Prime CEO Chiara Dorigotti. The dedicated maintenance facility is expected to be completed by year-end, and will bring the Linate complex to nearly 43,000 sq m (460,000 sq ft) of hangars.
Last year, aircraft management and maintenance provider Sirio, which in addition to maintaining its own fleet also serves as the primary maintenance location for FlexJets European-based aircraft, saw a 15 percent increase in its maintenance manhours, according to CEO Tom Englehard. He said the new hangar will allow the maintenance organization to expand its capabilities.
SEA Prime plans to add an additional 20,000 sq m (215,000 sq ft) of private jet hangar space at Linate by 2024 as part of the airport’s master plan.
