Following its success with the introduction of Milano Linate Prime, the state-of-the-art FBO at Milan’s Linate Airport–parent company SEA Prime (Booth T64)announced here at EBACE that it is ready to begin construction on its second location, Milano Malpensa Prime, which would be the first FBO at intercontinental Milano Malpensa Airport. The company is in the process of renovating an existing 5,000 sq m (53,800 sq ft) former commercial hangar, which can store aircraft up to a 737, and expects to begin offering it exclusively to business aviation customers in July. Around that time it will break ground on an adjoining 1,400 sq m (15,000 sq ft) €3 million VIP terminal, patterned after the stylish Milano Linate Prime, which it expects to open early in 2018.
As a result of this new development, the company’s FBO division has rebranded to Milano Prime, encompassing the two locations. The new FBO is part of the company’s investment plan, which will see it spend €17 million on the two locations by 2020.
At Linate, the company recently completed another hangar of 3,000 sq m (32,300 sq ft), plus 500 sq m (5,400 sq ft) of office space, which brings the location to 10 hangars totaling 24,000 sq m (258,000 sq ft) of aircraft storage. The FBO had a busy year with approximately 22,000 operations, making it the busiest business and general aviation airport in Italy, and one of Europe’s top 10. According to Chiara Dorigotti, the location’s general manager, traffic this year is up 20 percent year-over-year.
Last year, the company announced a partnership with international catering provider Gate Group and its subsidiary Gategourmet Italia, which saw the company establish an in-house provisioning operation and operate Prime Gusto, the FBOs restaurant and bar. To amplify that relationship, Gategourmet has formed an agreement with Italian culinary media company Gambero Rosso, which promotes top-quality locally-sourced Italian foods and wines. Those small-production artisan ingredients curated by Gambero Rosso will be incorporated into and featured in Gategourmet’s worldwide catering options, as well as those prepared onsite at the FBO for its business aviation customers.
As a tie in to the BMW Business Center which was introduced last year at Linate Prime, the company has introduced passenger pick up service utilizing the BMW Series 7 sedan which lent its styling to the facility. Earlier this year, SEA Prime signed an agreement with Bombardier to establish a new line-service station for the airframer at Milano Linate airport. The facility will provide line service for the OEM’s Global, Challenger, and Learjet families.
