Cargoitalia Defers Relaunch

Cargoitalia, its finances rebuilt with new backing, will put off the relaunch of its freighter services until the fall because of the weak economy.

The Italian carrier said Monday it just  took delivery of an MD-11 freighter and won its Air Operator's Certificate from the Italian government.

But the airline is focusing only on charters in a weak market for international air cargo andhas deferred plans for scheduled services until the fall, when carrier officials hope the usual seasonal upturn in demand shows up.

“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,” Commercial Director Roberto Gilardoni said.

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