In 10 years of operations, Cargolux Italia has become Italy’s number one cargo carrier, a position it will work hard to maintain in the future.
The Italian subsidiary of Cargolux Group has four Boeing 747-400 Freighters operating on routes to North America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific from Milan Malpensa Airport.
The airline registered a profitable year in 2018 with stable results, strengthening its position in markets including Japan, China and Hong Kong.
Cargolux Italia tells Air Cargo Week: “Additional frequencies to Zhengzhou and New York were added to the schedule, and the company continued to serve all African destinations in the Group’s network, on behalf of Cargolux.”
The beginning of 2019 was challenging, with the end of the peak season and Chinese New Year celebrations impacting volumes, along with issues looming on the horizon such as trade wars and Brexit. Despite the headwinds, Cargolux Italia says it remains optimistic about the year.
Fashion remains one of the strongest commodities, with pharmaceutical and avionics also on the up. The automotive and perishable industries have remained strong. Cargolux Italia has noticed a growing interest in its portfolio of specialised products.
The airline says: “These tailored solutions offer a wide range of customer handling services for sensitive, time-critical, off-size, and hazardous commodities, among other things. Last year, throughout the network there was a strong demand for automotive and live animal shipments, two items that fall under the scope of our tailored products.”
Being based in Milan puts Cargolux Italia in a strong position. Milan is located in Italy’s economic heart and geographically, it is situated at the crossroads of northern and southern Europe.
It also allows Cargolux Italia to have direct, local contact with the customers, allowing it to provide tailored, customised services.
The airline says: “Over the years, Milan-Malpensa has also developed into a significant transition platform and hub for cargo operations, establishing itself as the number one cargo airport in the country. Basing an all-cargo operation in such a location is of course a significant advantage for Cargolux Italia.”
Cargolux Italia says its success is an example of the potential of Italy’s airfreight market.
It says: “The growth of Milan Malpensa Airport is also a clear sign of the opportunity to increase the importance of Italy on the European scale. We need to promote our prime position and attract business from neighbouring countries beyond the scope of Southern Europe.”
