Cargoitalia – the Italian all-cargo airline being re-launched under the new ownership of ALIS – has taken delivery of the first of three MD11SF freighters, which has a 90 tonne payload and 3, 600 nautical miles range.

The first aircraft was formerly operated by Alitalia Cargo, and is currently undergoing certification with Italy’s civil aviation authorities. After this, it will enter commercial service. The second aircraft (EI-UPE) is scheduled to arrive during July, with a third planned later in the year.

Cargoitalia’s first scheduled flights will operate Milan (Malpensa) – New York – Toronto – Milan – Abu Dhabi – Milan twice weekly. Route and market studies are currently being undertaken in a number of other markets, to determine the utilisation for the second and third aircraft, the company said in a statement.

“Our discussions with freight forwarders throughout Italy have been very positive,” said Cargoitalia commercial director Roberto Gilardoni. “The market is clearly very supportive of the return of an Italian-owned, long-haul, all-cargo airline. We look forward very much to the start of our scheduled operations.”

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 S.p.A. -66.7 per cent) and Intesa SanPaolo (33.3 per cent). ALIS in turn is owned by the family of chairman and CEO Alcide Leali (62 per cent), other private investors (eight per cent), and Ricerca S.p.A. (Benetton), Selin S.p.A. (van den Heuvel) and Banca Intermobiliare, each having 10 per cent stakes.