Swissport cargo grows at Malpensa
Swissport has reached a new milestone in cargo handling at Milan Malpensa Airport, increasing volumes from 9 to 100 tonnes per day within five months of starting operations. According to the company, activities are carried out in a refurbished 4,000 square metre second-line warehouse located within the WTC Malpensa complex, compliant with customs, security and safety standards. The initial phase focused on import handling, pre-clearance activities and express distribution, with a gradual expansion planned towards export flows and general cargo. Swissport states that the volume growth reflects the application of standardised operational processes and resource organisation at the Lombardy hub, regarded as one of Europe’s main cargo nodes. The initiative forms part of the Group’s development strategy in Italy, which includes cargo handling, ground handling and airport hospitality services. According to Swissport, strengthening operations at Malpensa is expected to support growing demand from airlines, freight forwarders and integrated operators, contributing to the development of national logistics. Marina Bottelli, head of Swissport in Italy, said that the increase from 9 to 100 tonnes per day in just a few months demonstrates the Group’s ability to ensure reliable and efficient cargo flows across the European market.
Greece-Bulgaria-Romania corridor
The “Corridor Platform” between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania is a new joint initiative – the Black Sea–Aegean Sea Corridor Platform (Bacp) – established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Brussels on 3 December 2025 to coordinate the development of a north-south multimodal corridor linking the Aegean Sea, the Black Sea and the Danube, with strong support from the European Commission. Bacp is a political and technical mechanism bringing together the transport ministers of the three countries, European coordinators and Commission services to provide strategic guidance, oversee projects and harmonise national policies on cross-border connections. The aim is to accelerate the modernisation and interoperability of railways, roads, ports and inland waterways forming the new vertical axis between the Aegean, the Black Sea and the Danube, in line with the TEN-T network and EU priorities on security, resilience and military mobility. The corridor is conceived as a three-branch multimodal network connecting Greek Aegean ports, including Athens/Piraeus, Thessaloniki and Alexandroupolis, with Sofia, Ruse and the Bulgarian Black Sea ports of Burgas and Varna, as well as with Bucharest, Constanța and other Romanian nodes along the Danube and towards the borders with Ukraine and Moldova. Key connections include the Thessaloniki–Alexandroupolis–Bucharest axis and routes towards Ruse, Giurgiu, Siret and Ungheni, creating a north-south corridor alternative to current routings via the Bosphorus Strait and strengthening access to Central Europe, Ukraine and Moldova. The agreement establishes a two-level governance structure, with regular ministerial meetings for political decisions and technical working groups responsible for joint planning, regulatory harmonisation, digitalisation, sustainability and military mobility aspects. A joint action plan and a master plan for projects and financing are expected by the end of 2026, with coordinated mobilisation of EU funds, including CINEA, the EIB and other instruments, alongside national resources, supported by joint monitoring of progress on priority infrastructure. The platform aims to remove cross-border bottlenecks, improve interoperability, including TEN-T standards, ETCS and capacity for freight trains up to 740 metres, and ensure crisis-resilient infrastructure for regional supply chains. From a geopolitical and defence perspective, the corridor is presented as a “strategic artery” and a “first line of defence” on the EU and NATO’s eastern flank, offering a land-sea alternative to transits through the Turkish Straits and strengthening rapid movement capacity for troops and sensitive cargoes.
Piacenza pharmaceutical hub
Prologis has signed a new lease agreement with Cencora for a 22,077 square metre unit at the Piacenza DC5 warehouse within Prologis Park Piacenza, bringing the logistics park to full occupancy. The site expands Cencora’s pan-European third-party pharmaceutical logistics network and capabilities, enabling more targeted support for sector customers. Cencora provides integrated supply chain services including storage, distribution, order to cash, GMP repackaging and relabelling, as well as import and export solutions. The facility meets the Group’s sustainability standards and is equipped with a 350 kWp photovoltaic system, high-efficiency LED lighting and electric vehicle charging points. The transaction strengthens the positioning of Prologis Park Piacenza as a benchmark platform for specialised logistics operators.
