Poste Air Cargo is an Italian cargo airline owned by Poste Italiane. Formerly called Mistral Air, it operates Boeing 737 freighters in support of the Italian postal and logistics network as well as third-party cargo services.[1]
Mistral Air
The airline was established in 1981 by Carlo Pedersoli, better known as the actor Bud Spencer, and began operations in 1984. It developed as Mistral Air, carrying both passengers and freight on scheduled and charter services.[1]
Poste Italiane later acquired the airline. Its aircraft became an important part of the overnight system used to move mail and parcels between Italian regions.
Cargo focus and renaming
Passenger services ended in 2018 as the company concentrated on freight. On 1 October 2019 it adopted the Poste Air Cargo name, making its role within the national postal group explicit.[1]
The airline works within a wider chain of sorting centres, road feeders and delivery depots. Flights move time-sensitive mail and parcels overnight so items can enter destination distribution networks the following morning.[2]
Fleet
Poste Air Cargo operates converted Boeing 737 freighters. The 737-400SF provides established narrow-body cargo capacity, while the newer 737-800BCF offers improved fuel efficiency and additional volume.
The JetPhotos image shows EI-GHA, a Boeing 737-400SF. Narrow-body freighters are well matched to domestic and short European sectors because they can offer useful capacity without the cost of a wide-body aircraft.
Network and logistics role
Brescia and Rome Fiumicino are the principal hubs. Services connect Italian logistics centres and can extend to other European airports according to postal contracts and commercial demand.
Poste Air Cargo is therefore more than a conventional airline selling capacity route by route. Its schedules are designed around collection deadlines, overnight sorting waves and next-day delivery commitments within the Poste Italiane network.