Milan Malpensa International Airport (MXP / LIMC) Plane Spotting Map & Live Active Runway Predictor

As of Tue 27 Oct, 23:00 local, the METAR/TAF wind vector predicts landing and departure 35R+35L. The METAR wind is 20° at 4 kt. 35R shows +3.5 kt headwind and 2.0 kt crosswind from the right. Closed runways: none listed.

At 08:00 local the sun is at 119° azimuth and 9° elevation. Short final 35R - sunny side scores 92/100, 1234 m from runway 35R, view bearing 320.8°, best as a morning spot with a 150-600mm lens. At 16:00 the sun is at 237° and 12°. Short final 35R - sunny side scores 89/100 on a 19.2° view. Morning and afternoon picks follow that bearing: a view that wants the sun in the east is a morning spot, and a view that wants it in the west is an afternoon spot.

The best time to plane spot at Milan Malpensa International Airport (MXP/LIMC) is the window marked CLEAN FRONT LIGHT for the fence you are using. Morning (07:00-11:00) front light: no listed spot stays fully front-lit. Afternoon / golden hour (14:00-18:00) front light: Short final 35R - sunny side, Short final 35L - sunny side. Midday (11:00-14:00) is HIGH SUN / TOP LIGHT at 0 of 2 spotting locations. Read the Best Time of Day & Lighting Schedule by Spot table for the lens and the hours to avoid harsh backlit contrast.

LIMC spotting locations sun direction: Short final 35R - sunny side (runway 35R) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, CLEAN FRONT LIGHT at midday, and CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 11:00-18:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00. Short final 35L - sunny side (runway 35L) is SIDE LIGHT in the morning, CLEAN FRONT LIGHT at midday, and CLEAN FRONT LIGHT in the afternoon. Recommended focal length 150-600mm. Crisp fuselage illumination 11:00-18:00 local. No harsh backlit window between 07:00 and 18:00.

Short final 35R - sunny side is 1234 m from the 35R centerline, so the lens is 150-600mm. The bands are fixed from that distance: 70-200mm inside 250 m, 100-400mm from 250 m to 450 m, and 150-600mm beyond 450 m. The aircraft itself is about 573 m from this pin on a 700 m final.

Monitor Tower 119.0 MHz, Ground 121.9 MHz, Approach 132.7 MHz, ATIS 120.025 MHz. Online streams lag by 30 seconds or more. A handheld VHF airband scanner at the fence is the zero-delay way to hear a runway change on Tower 119.0 MHz.

No TAF wind shift in the next 6 hours flips the flow. Wind stays near 20° at 4 kt, so 35R remains the favored arrival. The $3/mo Telegram Runway-Shift Alert pings you when D-ATIS or the METAR wind vector changes the active runway: https://planespottingmap.com/airport/LIMC#runway-alerts