Poste Air Cargo, namedMistral Air until 30 September 2019, is an Italian cargo and former passengerairline headquartered inRome[3] and is a wholly owned subsidiary ofPoste italiane. Itshubs areBrescia Airport andLeonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport in Rome.[4] The airline used to serve domestic scheduled and international charter passenger services which it ceased in mid 2018 while focusing on cargo operations since then.
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| Founded | 1981 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Brescia Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 7 | ||||||
| Destinations | 8 | ||||||
| Parent company | Poste italiane | ||||||
| Headquarters | Rome, Italy | ||||||
| Key people | Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli), Founder | ||||||
| Website | poste.it/posteaircargo | ||||||
History
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Mistral Air was established in 1981 by actor and former swimmerBud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli) and started operations in 1984.
It was wholly owned byTNT N.V.[4] until March 2002 when TNT sold a 75% stake toPoste Italiane. The airline has also been contracted by theHoly See of theVatican to flyPilgrims to holy sites such asLourdes,Fátima,Santiago de Compostela,Medjugorje acrossMostar, Israel/Palestine (Holy Land), Poland and Mexico. The first flight went from Rome to Lourdes on 27 August 2007 transporting the vicar of Rome, CardinalCamillo Ruini.[5]
In May 2018, ownerPoste Italiane announced that Mistral Air will cease all scheduled and charter passenger flights to focus on cargo operations from now on. The airline has been loss-making for years and recently lost aPSO contract for Italian domestic services as well.[6][7]
Since 1 October 2019, Mistral Air was rebranded in Poste Air Cargo.
Destinations
editAs of April 2021, Poste Air Cargo operates scheduled cargo flights to the following domestic destinations as well as 8 international services from their hub in Rome:[8]
Latest passenger destinations served by Mistral Air brand were Cagliari, Catania, Naples, Palermo, Perugia, Brescia and Pescara in Italy as well as Tirana in Albania which all ceased by August 2018.
Fleet
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As of February 2025[update], the Poste Air Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft:[citation needed]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-400F | 5[citation needed] | — | |
| Boeing 737-800BCF | 3[citation needed] | — | |
| Total | 8 | — |
References
edit- ^"Airline and Airport Code Search".IATA. Retrieved28 June 2016.
- ^"Elenco delle imprese titolari di licenza di trasporto aereo".Italian Civil Aviation Authority. 3 June 2016.Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved13 June 2017.
- ^"Mistral Air – Contatti". Retrieved28 June 2016.
- ^ab"Directory: World Airlines".Flight International. 10 April 2007. p. 51.
- ^Willey, David (27 August 2007)."Vatican flight service launches". BBC News. Retrieved28 June 2016.
- ^"Il piano Mistral Air Charter addio, non resta che il cargo".
- ^"Mistral Air: Bud-Spencer-Airline fliegt nur noch Pakete". 3 June 2018.
- ^poste.it – Il Network retrieved 17 April 2021
External links
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Media related toPoste Air Cargo at Wikimedia Commons
