Despite the full use of its freighter fleet and a growing network of ‘preighter’ flights, Lufthansa Cargo is still a long way from replacing the far-reaching cancellations of passenger air freight capacity, reports manager for communications Katharina Stegmann
Especially in emergency and crisis situations, logistics and air freight are of particular importance. Lufthansa Cargo is making every effort to strengthen security of supply by air. About half of the goods are normally transported in freighters, the other half in the bellies of passenger aircraft. Due to the far-reaching cancellations of passenger connections, valuable air freight capacity is lacking. The Lufthansa Group and Lufthansa Cargo are therefore operating a multitude of flights exclusively for cargo transport on passenger aircraft.
In order to further increase the possible cargo volume, especially for the transport of comparatively light goods such as protective masks, parts of the cabin interior of ten A330 Lufthansa aircraft have been removed. The excellent cooperation between all involved parties played a vital role in the quick provision of important airfreight capacity.
Due to a constantly updated special flight schedule, all 17 Lufthansa Cargo freighters are continuously operating to transport urgently needed goods, such as medical supplies, around the world and to Germany. In addition to the regular cargo flights, up to 49 additional weekly flights with Lufthansa passenger aircraft can now be used exclusively for cargo transport. We are currently able to offer roughly half of our usual capacity.
We are currently operating our own freighter fleet consisting of seven Boeing 777Fs and six MD-11Fs. Additionally, we use the capacity of four Boeing 777Fs from AeroLogic, our joint venture with DHL Express. Furthermore, Lufthansa Cargo is expecting the deliveries of its 8th and 9th Boeing 777Fs in the second half of 2020, with a standard load capacity of 103 tonnes each.
