ROME: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, which has major interests in Italy through its 49% stake in flag carrier Alitalia, has signed an agreement with Parma International Airport in northern Italy to establish a cargo transit center.
Parma will act as a receiving base from which cargo will be forwarded to Milan Malpensa airport. The transit center will be developed in conjunction with Etihad Cargo and the carrier’s partner airlines. Etihad and Alitalia have a total of six dedicated freighter services a week from Malpensa, as well as underfloor space on passenger services.
The agreement to expand activities at Parma “is a further demonstration of our confidence in Italy, one of the largest cargo markets in Europe,” Etihad Cargo VP David Kerr said. “We have already strengthened our freighter capacity out of Milan in the last few weeks, having placed a new 777 freighter on the Milan-Bogotá sector, so the opportunity to use Parma gives us a further chance to strengthen our cargo services from Europe.” Etihad said the region surrounding Parma has a particularly strong record in exporting high-value goods.
“The agreement with an international partner of the caliber of Etihad Airways is confirmation of the potential of this airport,” Parma Industrialists’ Union chairman Alberto Figna said. The airport has a single runway and a small number of scheduled passenger services operated by Ireland-based low-cost carrier Ryanair and Italian charter airline Mistral Air. Etihad has 11 dedicated freighters, with a further one due to join the fleet this year. It has 20 freighter-only destinations on Etihad’s route network.
