100 million to be invested in Montichiari to boost cargo operations
With Amazon’s arrival, there are more connections with Europe. A new warehouse for goods has been opened
One hundred million euros of investment by 2030 – of which 30 million has already been spent – to transform Brescia Montichiari cargo airport into a leading hub for air freight in Italia and Europe. This is set out in the master plan for the development of the Lombardy airport, which has been approved by the shareholders. The management of Montichiari is entrusted entirely to the company Valerio Catullo, based in Verona Villafranca. In turn, Catullo is controlled and coordinated by Save, the group that manages the airports of Venice, Treviso, Verona and Charleroi (Belgium), as well as Montichiari.
This was stated by Enrico Marchi, chairman of the Save Group, at the opening in Montichiari of a new 4,300-square-metre logistics facility, designed to support the sorting of thousands of parcels a day. The warehouse is primarily intended for Amazon. Since last September, the American e-commerce giant has decided to transfer all its logistics operations from Malpensa Airport to Montichiari Airport. This strategic move will help to revitalise cargo traffic at D’Annunzio Airport. Amazon operates four daily flights to Montichiari, six days a week, totalling around 100 flights a month. Amazon connects the Brescia airport with its logistics hubs across Europe: Barcelona, Cologne, Liège and Hanover. Amazon’s decision may be driven by factors linked to Montichiari’s geographical location, which lies right at the centre of the main transport routes in the Po Valley.
This new facility complements the warehouses already in use at the airport for the operations of Poste Italiane – for which Montichiari is the main operational hub – DHL and non-European cargo flights, bringing the total logistics space to 20,000 square metres. The investment in the new warehouse amounted to 10 million euros. This project comes on top of the 20 million euros invested in infrastructure and operational equipment since 2015.
In the 2026–2035 National Airport Plan, D’Annunzio Airport plays a strategic role, being entirely dedicated to freight traffic (passenger flights are limited to a few sporadic private jets). The unique characteristics of Montichiari – situated at the heart of an industrial catchment area that accounts for over 50 per cent of Italian exports, and served by five motorways including the Brebemi – make it a key cargo hub for the region and the whole country. These characteristics enable it to capture those national cargo traffic flows which are currently still channelled by road to airports in Northern Europe. Among Montichiari’s strengths are its round-the-clock operations, including customs services available every day of the week, and the availability of advanced equipment that enables it to offer customers bespoke solutions.
Overall, the outlook for air freight is positive. According to a Boeing report, global air freight traffic is set to double by 2045. The analysis suggests that growth will continue to be driven by e-commerce, AI-enabled hardware, as well as the urgent delivery requirements of advanced manufacturing and the need to diversify supply chains.
