Lufthansa Cargo strengthens global network and meets Asia Pacific demand

Lufthansa Cargo will offer its customers up to 46 weekly freighter rotations to 17 destinations in the Asia Pacific region as part of its winter flight schedule that is due to begin on 25 October.

One addition is the inclusion of Singapore in the existing rotation from Frankfurt, Germany to Taipei, Taiwan. The new intra-Asia route provides customers with additional network options and main deck capacity within Asia, said Lufthansa Cargo.

The increased frequency on the transpacific route from Frankfurt via Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Shanghai, China to Los Angeles, US – operating two out of seven days – will continue from the summer flight schedule.

Additionally, the additional flights to Taipei and Chengdu, China, each departing from Frankfurt, will continue at a frequency of three out of seven days per week. Further, cargo can once again be transported to and from Almaty, Kazakhstan to Frankfurt.

India changes

Like other airlines, including Cathay Cargo, Silk Way West and Hong Kong Air Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo has shifted its freighter operations to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport from Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, where freighter operations have been temporarily suspended at the airport while upgrades are carried out.

With the relocation, effective 12 October, Lufthansa Cargo aims to ensure that key industrial and manufacturing hubs in the region remain well connected to international markets.

Furthermore, Bangalore will also be added to SWISS WorldCargo’s route network to and from Zurich, providing customers in southern India with another European hub and more route options.

The number of US destinations remains unchanged at four South American destinations with four weekly connections and eleven North American destinations.

With one additional service each, Dallas will be increased to a total of four weekly connections, Houston to three weekly connections, and New York JFK to five weekly services.

Stable Europe network

Within Europe, Lufthansa Cargo offers its customers up to three weekly freighter rotations with the Boeing 777 freighter fleet to up to three destinations. The short-term rotations from Frankfurt to Larnaca in Cyprus, Istanbul in Turkey, and Stavanger in Norway are now being permanently incorporated into the regular flight schedule.

Following the grounding of Lufthansa Cargo’s Airbus A321Fs since mid-April, the previous A321F destinations will continue to be served by long-haul freighters or Lufthansa Group’s passenger network until a new operator is found for the four short- and medium-haul freighters.

Overall, the winter flight schedule offers customers access to 88 freighter routes to 40 destinations worldwide.

There are also new destinations for cargo customers within Lufthansa Group’s passenger network: Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia will be served five times a week by Lufthansa Airlines. In addition, starting in November, ITA Airways will add Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to its long-haul schedule twice a week.

Ashwin Bhat, chief executive of Lufthansa Cargo, said: “With the upcoming flight schedule, our network remains one of the strongest to, from, and within Europe.

“Approximately 7,500 flights to 350. destinations via our six European hubs of Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Brussels, Rome and Zurich will continue to be available, offering fast and reliable transport options for Lufthansa Cargo customers.

“True to our mission, ‘Enabling Global Business,’ we will continue to flexibly align our route network with the needs of our customers and changing business flows.”

He added: “India is one of the strategically important growth markets for Lufthansa Cargo. By connecting also Navi Mumbai, we are ensuring that our customers will continue to benefit from a high-performance infrastructure, reliable capacity, and seamless integration into our global network.”