Brescia-Montichiari Airport Expands Cargo Operations with New 4,300-Square-Metre Warehouse

Brescia-Montichiari Gabriele d’Annunzio Airport in Italy has taken a further big step forward in developing its freight business with the opening of a new 4,300 square metre logistics warehouse. The now operational facility is built to handle increasing cargo volumes and to support the expanding network of air freight activities at the airport.

A major addition to the airport's infrastructure is the new steel-framed building. Its floor area is equivalent to 16 tennis courts and could, in theory, house two Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The pitched roof gives around 67,000 cubic metres of internal volume, which is the volume of about 1,500 containers of 40 cubic metres.

Several prominent figures from the aviation, institutional and regional economic sectors attended the inauguration. Enrico Marchi, President of SAVE Group, was among the attendees, together with SAVE and Catullo’s senior executives. Also present were Carlo Mearelli, Extraordinary Commissioner of Italy’s Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) and Lombardy Regional Councillors Guido Guidesi, responsible for Economic Development and Debora Massari, responsible for Tourism, Territorial Marketing and Fashion.

The ceremony was also attended by Marco Togni, Mayor of Montichiari and councillor for the development of the airport and for the Area Plan for the Brescia Province.

The new infrastructure will improve air cargo operations, helping to process and sort thousands of parcels a day, the airport said. Its main customer is Amazon, which has started operating in Montichiari since September, with four daily flights six days a week. These services link the Italian airport with the e-commerce group’s air logistics hubs across Europe.

The new building fits in perfectly with the airport’s existing cargo facilities, which already handle Poste Italiane, DHL and non-European freight flights. Montichiari is Poste Italiane’s main operational centre. With the latest addition, the airport's total warehouse capacity reaches about 20,000 square metres.

€10 million invested in long-term growth

The construction project investment was €10 million. The investment comes on top of €20 million spent on infrastructure and operational equipment upgrades since 2015 while the airport awaited the conclusion of the approval process for its Master Plan.

The Master Plan’s broader development programme envisages total investments of €100 million, reflecting the airport’s ambition to be an increasingly important freight gateway.

Montichiari has a very strategic geographical position. The airport is located in an industrial area where more than 50% of Italian export is produced and is connected to five motorways, including the newly conceived BreBeMi expressway.

These geographical and operational advantages strengthen its position in the Italian cargo market. Airport managers think that Montichiari can take domestic air freight volumes now transported by road to the major airports of Northern Europe.

The airport also boasts its 24/7 operations, with services and customs facilities available seven days a week. The platform’s capabilities, together with the advanced handling equipment, enable the design of tailor-made logistics solutions for its customers.

New equipment installed to support Amazon operations

The airport has introduced a range of operational improvements and specific handling systems to cater for Amazon’s operations.

New installations include X-ray screening machines, castor decks fitted with omnidirectional wheels to facilitate movement of cargo, aircraft cargo loaders and additional truck loading and unloading bays.

The investments will improve the efficiency of parcel handling, enable transfers between road and air transport and support the processing of higher shipment volumes.

Cargo volumes and employment continue to grow

The opening of the warehouse coincides with a period of strong growth for Brescia-Montichiari Airport. Freight traffic is growing and management anticipates carrying considerably more tons by the end of 2026 than in the previous year.

This operational expansion is also resulting in additional employment opportunities. The airport said that about 200 direct and indirect workers have joined the airport’s activities since September, as cargo operations continue to grow and require an increasing work force.

“The latest development is another milestone in the gradual transformation of the airport into a specialised cargo platform within the group's airport network,” said Enrico Marchi, President of the SAVE Group.

“Brescia Airport is slowly but surely realising its potential as a cargo-specialised airport in the group of airports managed by our Group. Today's opening is another important milestone along this path, connecting the growth in traffic and cargo volumes with matching infrastructure upgrades. This is how we work, with very detailed planning, and once again it meant we were ready to welcome a new international player like Amazon. “We will continue on this path, implementing what has been established in the Master Plan approved last year, so that Montichiari grows in its role of point of reference for freight transport in Italy and in Europe,” Marchi stated.

ENAC highlights the strategic importance of air cargo

The project is also part of a wider push to modernise and strengthen Italy’s air cargo infrastructure, Italy’s civil aviation authority said.

ENAC Extraordinary Commissioner Carlo Mearelli pointed out the importance of investments in infrastructure, automation and digital technologies for improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the national airport network.

The opening today is another step in reinforcing what is becoming an increasingly strategic logistics hub. The project is part of ENAC’s wider project to strengthen and modernise the national cargo sector, through infrastructure development, automation and digitalisation, to make the airport system ever more efficient and competitive.

“Air freight is a strategic resource for the competitiveness of the Italian productive system and of Made in Italy: it generates economic value and jobs and benefits the local territories. All of this corresponds to the new National Airports Plan, which establishes strengthening the cargo supply chain as a priority action to meet growing demand and support the country's competitiveness in international markets," Mearelli said.

Montichiari’s growth is a turning point for the local economy

The project is also of great importance to the surrounding community, which has waited years for more certainty on the airport’s future.

The development of the facility, opened in March 1999, has been the product of a long administrative and strategic process. This included the award of the concession of the airport, the drafting of a development plan and the subsequent obtaining of the necessary authorisations.

In the words of Marco Togni, these successive stages have at last brought about the conditions for sustained growth. The opening of the new cargo warehouse, together with the recent launch of flights serving a major international e-commerce company, gives a more concrete outlook for the airport and the wider regional economy.

The community of Brescia has waited a long time for guaranties and certainty about the future of the airport since it opened in March 1999. We needed a clear strategy and it had to go through a complex process: the awarding of the concession, a development plan and then the authorisations needed. It looks like all the pieces have finally fallen into place and lined up properly.

“Today, with the opening of the new cargo warehouse and with the recent start of flights related to a major e-commerce company, a growth prospect that looks solid and lasting is finally taking shape. “This is a very important strategic milestone for us at the airport, but also for the wider local economy that we support, and I’m very happy about that,” said Togni.

With its new warehouse, new handling equipment, growing workforce and increasing international connections, Gabriele d’Annunzio Airport is strengthening its aspirations in the European air cargo market. The next steps of Montichiari’s €100 million Master Plan will determine how much it can grow its role as a strategic alternative for cargo movements in Italy and beyond.