Milan Malpensa International Airport delays 142 flights and cancels 2 after operational breakdown

Disruption overview

Operations at Milan Malpensa International Airport broke down on 5 June 2026, disrupting 144 flights across carriers including Lufthansa, easyJet, and British Airways. The airport recorded 142 delays and 2 cancellations, with routes to London, Paris, and Athens among the worst affected and knock-on disruption reaching long-haul connections. Several hundred travelers also needed overnight accommodation or medical assistance as airlines worked through the backlog late into the evening. Because the cause had not been confirmed, passenger eligibility for compensation under EC 261 remained unclear, but travelers may still have rights depending on what triggered the disruption.

Disruption details

Flights at Milan Malpensa International Airport were heavily disrupted on 5 June 2026, with 142 delays and 2 cancellations affecting carriers including Lufthansa, easyJet, and British Airways. For passengers, this meant long waits, missed plans, and a day of uncertainty at one of northern Italy’s busiest airports.

The disruption lasted through the day and quickly spread beyond Milan. Flights to London, Paris, and Athens were among the worst hit, while travelers connecting onward to Dubai, Asia, and the Middle East faced missed onward flights and costly rebookings.

Some airlines were hit harder than others:

• Lufthansa canceled 2 departures and delayed roughly 30% of its remaining Malpensa schedule.

• easyJet recorded 38 delayed rotations, equal to about 26% of its daily schedule at the airport.

• British Airways and Aegean Airlines saw delay rates of 80% or higher.

• Condor had around two-thirds of its flights running late.

• Etihad Airways, Eurowings, and Cambodia Airways each registered 100% delays, meaning no flight left on time.

Airport management had not given a definitive explanation by the end of the day. The scale of the problem suggested a wider operational failure, possibly involving IT systems or ground handling, combined with air traffic control constraints, rather than a single weather-related issue.

For many passengers, the hardest part was the lack of clear information. Airport advisories indicated that several hundred travelers needed overnight accommodation or medical assistance, while social media posts described long gate holds and little guidance from airlines.

By late evening, the situation had started to stabilize. Airlines focused on working through backlogs and rerouting delayed flights instead of adding many more cancellations, but the disruption still created immediate knock-on effects for tour operators, Milan hotels, and regional businesses at the start of the summer travel season.

Investigations and operational audits are expected to follow before peak July traffic begins. That puts pressure on SEA Milan Airports, ground-handling companies, and the airlines involved to show how they’ll prevent a similar breakdown from happening again.

If your flight from Malpensa was canceled or arrived more than 3 hours late, your rights may depend on what caused the disruption. Under EC 261, compensation can apply when an airline is responsible, but airlines may challenge claims if the final investigation finds the cause was outside their control.

Because the root cause still hadn’t been confirmed, compensation wasn’t clear yet. Even so, you should still be offered support during a major disruption, including rerouting or a refund, food and drinks during long waits, and accommodation if you’re stranded overnight. If you want to see what may apply to your journey, you can check your flight with AirHelp’s free checker in just 2 minutes.

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