VIP welcome for Cargoitalia Atlanta inaugural

Cargoitalia’s inaugural flight from Milan to Atlanta was treated to a VIP welcome at the hands of Atlanta  Mayor Kasim Reed, Aviation General Manager Louis Miller, City Councilman C.T. Martin and nearly 40 guests.

The airline’s first flight to Atlanta carried a black Ferrari 458 and the latest Italian designer goods, while the return cargo included car parts for Germany. Attending the inaugural event was Cargoitalia Commercial Director Roberto Gilardoni, who thanked Mayor Reed for his support for the new service. The crew of the first inbound flight also  presented gifts.

Said Mayor Reed: “Our relationship with Roberto and Cargoitalia is very important to me because it shows that Atlanta is taking another step to be a leading cargo airport destination.”

Cargoitalia is now operating twice weekly between Milan and Atlanta, and views its main potential export commodities from Milan as fashion goods, machinery and automotive parts. Textiles, manufactured goods and transit shipments to the Middle East are expected to make up the bulk of traffic from Atlanta. International air cargo from Atlanta grew 24.22 percent from 2009 to 2010.

Comments Roberto Gilardoni: “Cargoitalia now has the ability to cover the southern states, and also to attract transhipment traffic to and from central and south America. We are grateful for the enthusiasm and support of Atlanta Airport and the local government for our new services, and we are very optimistic about the future potential for this latest Cargoitalia gateway.”

About Cargoitalia S.p.A. (Cargoitalia)
Cargoitalia was re-launched under new ownership in April 2009. In May 2009, the airline took delivery of its first MD11SF freighter, in July it received its AOC, in August it acquired  a second MD11SF and commenced ad hoc charter operations, and in September 2009 it started scheduled operations to Hong Kong and New York.

In early 2010, the airline added Dubai and Chicago to its destination network. In May, it took delivery of its third MD11 freighter – a brand new passenger-to-freighter conversion from Singapore-based SASCO, embodying a number of design improvements over its first two aircraft. In September, it commenced twice-weekly flights to Shanghai.

Cargoitalia’s owners are ALIS Holding (66.7%) and Intesa SanPaolo (33.3%). ALIS Holding in turn is owned by the family of Chairman and CEO Alcide Leali (62%), other private investors (8%), and Ricerca S.p.A. (Benetton), Selin S.p.A. (van den Heuvel) and Banca Intermobiliare, each having 10% stakes.

Quelle: Cargoitalia