MSC Air Cargo took delivery on 14 January 2026, at the Everett Delivery Centre in the state of Washington, of its second Boeing 777-200 Freighter registered in Italy. The aircraft carries the registration I-MSCB and is named Bellatrix. It will be operationally based in Malpensa. The transaction involves MSC Air Cargo as owner, while operations are carried out by MSC Air, the Italian subsidiary operating under a national AOC, which already manages the group’s first Italy-registered 777F, with registration I-MSCA and the name Alfirk.
The delivery of Bellatrix fits into a growth path launched in 2022 and accelerated between 2024 and 2025, when the air cargo arm emerged as a component of the MSC Group’s integrated offering across sea, land and air. Within this trajectory, Italy has taken on a significant operational role: the acquisition of a majority stake in AlisCargo and its subsequent rebranding as MSC Air, completed in 2024, provided the vehicle to secure local licensing and expertise.
In 2025, MSC Air Cargo strengthened its activities along two lines: expansion of the flight network and development of a ground feeder network. In January 2025 it launched services from Maastricht to Asian destinations including Hong Kong and Xiamen, operated by Atlas Air and largely dedicated to e-commerce and general cargo flows. This evolution forms part of a broader strategy of presence at multiple European airports, aimed at capturing different traffic flows and seasonal patterns and allocating capacity according to demand profiles. Within this framework, the group also highlights a substantial road component: at the end of 2024 MSC Air Cargo reported 2,518 flights operated during the year and an RFS network with more than 94 road connections, including 74 in Europe, 14 in the Americas and six in Asia-Pacific.
The evolution of the fleet reflects a shift from a predominantly “light” asset structure towards a hybrid configuration with greater direct control. In the 2024 to early 2025 phase, operations relied on a combination of Boeing 777 Freighters under ACMI agreements with Atlas Air and one owned 777F operated under an Italian AOC from Malpensa, with additional leased capacity used to cover peaks and specific corridors. The delivery of Bellatrix and the expected arrival of another 777F by 2026 will bring the total fleet to around seven 777Fs, including owned aircraft and those operated under ACMI. This increases the ability to stabilise schedules, product standards and capacity availability on intercontinental routes, albeit with higher requirements in terms of flight crews and technical infrastructure.
On the commercial side, between 2024 and 2025 MSC Air Cargo developed a portfolio of specialised products, steering the cargo mix towards higher-value and more operationally complex goods. Shipped Pharma was the first dedicated product, linked to the development of cold chains and the pursuit of IATA CEIV Pharma certification, with significant deployment on corridors between Italy and Asia launched from Malpensa. This was followed by Shipped Fresh and Shipped Special, covering export flows from Italy of pharmaceuticals, high-value goods, automotive and outsize cargo, and imports into Europe of fresh products from South America. Seasonal patterns favour the use of long-haul all-cargo aircraft to guarantee transit times and quality. In this context, the increase in owned capacity with Bellatrix can support not only higher volumes but also the operational consistency required by products dependent on temperature control, procedures and punctuality.
Capacity growth is accompanied by the development of the labour base in Italy, reinforced at the end of 2024 by the signing of the pilots’ contract for MSC Air Cargo. At a time when crew availability represents a concrete constraint on expansion, this element becomes part of the plan’s operational sustainability, as it makes recruitment and stabilisation of the flight personnel needed to support a model with more directly managed aircraft more predictable.
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