Milan Bergamo receives Christmas cargo boost

Milan Bergamo will see a healthy increase in cargo operations heading up to the Christmas period, with the airport expected to see additional air cargo traffic during the lead up to the festive season. The commitment to the airport from cargo operators follows on from a healthy 12 months where regular cargo movements have increased by 2.5% versus the previous year, further showing Milan Bergamo’s ever-growing role in the cargo sector.

“We are one of the leading cargo centres for Italy, and during the lead up to Christmas we are poised to see 4.3% more weekly freighter movements than in a usual week this winter, helping distribute the planned increased throughput of goods,” comments Giacomo Cattaneo, Director of Commercial Aviation, SACBO. “While we have grown passenger numbers to over 12 million a year, cementing Milan Bergamo as Italy’s third-busiest commercial airport, it’s great to share the positive news of increased cargo operations, with cargo being a core part of our business.” Adding a further comment, Cattaneo states: “Cargo operations support 940 jobs at the airport which are directly related to the operation. The increased movements over the festive period by the likes of DHL and UPS further support these positions and helps boost the local and regional economy of Lombardy.”

Last year Milan Bergamo handled 125,948 tonnes of cargo, accounting for 10% of all air freight in Italy, with the airport seeing 8,145 freighter movements in 2017, averaging at 22 a day. While movements are up, it should also be noted that carriers, including DHL Aviation, in recent weeks have started operating larger freighter aircraft into the airport to accommodate growth, with aircraft such as the A330F making more regular appearances as part of DHL Aviation’s normal daily flying schedule from the airport.

Milan Bergamo is certified for the management of all types of cargo aircraft, up to and including the AN-124, one of the world’s heaviest gross weight production cargo aircraft, which has operated into the airport on previous occasions, with the last time being in October, to help transport specialist equipment built by companies located in the dynamic and industrial area surrounding Milan Bergamo. The airport also has no flight time curfew restrictions on flights, with Milan Bergamo’s runway category being an ILS Cat 3b.