Cargoitalia operates first flight

CARGOITALIA – Italy’s new all-cargo carrier – has successfully performed its first commercial flight since its re-formation under new management and ownership. The flight took place just three days after the airline received its AOC.

The flight left Milan Malpensa on time on Saturday 25 July, bound for Hong Kong, carrying cargo on behalf of three major Italian forwarders. It returned to Milan with a technical stop at Almaty (Kazakhstan) on Monday 27 July.

Hong Kong has been chosen as the airline’s second route, and will be operated from September using its second MD-11SF aircraft, due for delivery within the next few weeks.

Roberto Gilardoni, commercial director, said: “Operationally, the flight went perfectly. Commercially, we achieved average 87 per cent load factors both ways, which is very gratifying, and an indication of the market’s demand, enthusiasm and loyalty for an Italian-owned and operated service.

“To have operated our first flight so quickly and so successfully after a total re-launch is a major achievement given the enormous amount of preparations required, and is thanks to the hard work and determination of our own staff, our contractors, our business partners and the authorities. We could not have asked for better support.”

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 (Aerolinee Italiane SpA – 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 SpA (Benetton), Selin SpA (van den Heuvel) and Banca Intermobiliare, each having 10 per cent stakes.