Cargoitalia receives AOC

CARGOITALIA – the Italian all-cargo airline being re-launched under the new ownership of ALIS – has won its air operator’s certificate following a full review of its new operations by the Italian civil aviation authority.

Flights can now start using Cargoitalia’s recently-delivered first MD11F, with which the airline will operate a series of ad hoc charters throughout July and August, before starting the planned scheduled operations in September.

Roberto Gilardoni, commercial director, said: “We have decided to defer the start-up of our scheduled services until September, when demand will be stronger. In the meantime, operating charters will give us an ideal opportunity to ensure our aircraft, systems and staff are functioning at full efficiency. This means we can hit the ground running in September, without any of the teething problems we might otherwise face.

“We remain very excited at the prospect of bringing back Italian-owned and operated main-deck services to the Italian market.”

Cargoitalia is about to take delivery of the second of its three MD11F aircraft, which will be deployed on a different route; a third MD11F is due within the next six months. The airline has orders for eight Airbus A330-200 freighters, which will enter service from 2012.

The new Cargoitalia is the result of amalgamating the original Cargoitalia (which suspended operations in 2008) with the recently-purchased Alitalia full cargo business. Cargoitalia’s new owners are ALIS (66.7 per cent) and Intesa SanPaolo (33.3 per cent). ALIS in turn is owned by the family of chairman and chief executive officer Alcide Leali (62 per cent), other private investors (eight per cent), and Ricerca (Benetton), Selin (van den Heuvel) and Banca Intermobiliare, each having 10 per cent stakes.