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Lufthansa Cargo

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Lufthansa Cargo AG
IATA ICAO Call sign
LH GEC LUFTHANSA CARGO
Founded1977;47 years ago(1977)
(asGerman Cargo)
Commenced operations1993;31 years ago(1993)
(asLufthansa Cargo)
HubsFrankfurt Airport
SubsidiariesAeroLogic(50%)
Fleet size15
Destinations57
Parent companyLufthansa Group
HeadquartersFrankfurt,Hesse,Germany
Key peopleAshwin Bhat (CEO)
Websitewww.lufthansa-cargo.com

Lufthansa CargoAGis a Germancargo airlineand a wholly owned subsidiary ofLufthansa.It operates worldwide air freight and logistics services and is headquartered atFrankfurt Airport,themain hubof Lufthansa.[1][2]Besides operating dedicated cargo planes, the company also has access to cargo capacities of 350 passenger aircraft of the Lufthansa Group.

History

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A former Lufthansa CargoMcDonnell Douglas DC-8-73in 1994.
A former Lufthansa CargoBoeing 747-200featuring theWOW Alliancelogo in 2004.
A now retired Lufthansa CargoMcDonnell Douglas MD-11Fwearing the airline's former livery in 2010.
Lufthansa CargoBoeing 777F

Foundation and early years

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Recognizing the growing importance of the cargo business, Lufthansa established its cargo subsidiary in 1977 calledGerman Cargo Services GmbH.[3]Previously, cargo operations were executed in-house, under theLufthansa Cargoname, when – in an effort to restructure the company – the cargo division was re-integrated into its parent, and split up into two parts (one for scheduled operations using Lufthansa-owned aircraft, and one for freight and logistics services using chartered or leased aircraft).[citation needed]

In 1996,Hinduja Cargo Serviceswas founded as a joint venture betweenHinduja Groupand Lufthansa Cargo. The company operated a fleet of Boeing 727 freighters, flying from airports in theIndian subcontinentto feed Lufthansa Cargo's hub atSharjah airport.[4]The airline suspended operations in 2000 in favour of direct services from Frankfurt using Lufthansa Cargo aircraft.[5]

Development since 2000

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In 2000, Lufthansa Cargo was a founding member of theWOW Alliance,a global cargoairline alliance,but left in 2007 as it did not see any benefits for the future.

In 2002 the special logistics companytime:matterswas founded, which was sold in the meantime, but is now again a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo.[6]

Lufthansa Cargo was created as a limited stock company on 30 November 2004, along withLufthansa Cargo Charter.Lufthansa Cargo usesLH(the same IATA code as Lufthansa), as well asGEC(the former ICAO code of German Cargo) asairline codes.

As of 2007, Lufthansa Cargo used to operate a hub for intra-Asian flights atAstana International AirportinKazakhstan,but was forced to relocate it toYemelyanovo Airportin Russia in 2007, because otherwise the airline would have been banned from entering Russian airspace, in what was described as an act of economic blackmail by the Russian authorities.[7][8]

In 2004,Jade Cargo Internationalwas founded as a joint venture betweenShenzhen Airlines,Lufthansa Cargo, and theGerman Investment Corporation,a German governmental entity.[9]This venture operated a fleet of six Boeing 747 freighters that flew to destinations that include Frankfurt, Chennai, Shanghai, and Chengdu. Jade ended operations in 2011.[9]

As of 2011, all Lufthansa Cargo aircraft were based atFrankfurt Airport,theseventh busiestfreight hub in the world, where the airline enjoys a strong co-operation withFraport,the operator of the airport. Cargo facilities at the airport are divided into two places (Cargo City North and South), of which the first one is nearly exclusively used by Lufthansa Cargo. Lufthansa Cargo previously had a secondary base atLeipzig/Halle Airport,the European hub forDHL Express,from where it operated flights on behalf of DHL. Activities at this airport gradually came to an end following the formation ofAeroLogicas ajoint venturebetween Lufthansa and DHL, which henceforth caters for the DHL flights, allowing Lufthansa Cargo to concentrate on other services.[10]

In May 2011, Lufthansa Cargo opened another hub atRajiv Gandhi International AirportinHyderabad,India, to transport temperature-sensitive goods, especially pharmaceuticals, between South East Asia and Europe (and onwards to the United States).[11]

In 2019, heyworld GmbH was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo with a focus on eCommerce logistics.[12]The company and another Lufthansa subsidiary was planned to benefit from theAirbus A321Foperations.[13]

In September 2020, Lufthansa Cargo confirmed it was retiring its remainingMcDonnell Douglas MD-11Fduring 2021 despite the grown freight demand in the wake of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[14]The last MD-11F flight took place on 17 October 2021.[15]

In June 2024, Lufthansa Cargo announced to inaugurate its first freighter services fromMunich Airportwith scheduled flights toIstanbul.[16]

Destinations

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As of May 2021,Lufthansa Cargo serves 57 cities worldwide with its cargo aircraft.[17]

Fleet

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Current fleet

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As of December 2023,the Lufthansa Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft:[18]

Aircraft In service Orders Notes
Airbus A321-200/P2F 4 — Operated byLufthansa CityLine.[19][20][21][22]
Boeing 777F 11 2[23]
Boeing 777-8F — 7 Deliveries between 2027 and 2030.[23]
Total 15 9

Fleet development

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The initial fleet of Lufthansa Cargo had previously belonged toGerman Cargo,and was expanded by cargo-converted former Lufthansa mainlineBoeing 747-200s.From 1998, the airline began to gradually phase out all other aircraft types in favour of a fleet entirely consisting of theMcDonnell Douglas MD-11(which Lufthansa received as freighter versions in 2001 after MD-11 production ended) version and its successor, theBoeing 777freighter. In March 2011, the order of fiveBoeing 777Fwas announced, the same aircraft type which had earlier been chosen forAeroLogic.[24]Almost the entire Lufthansa Cargo fleet today is composed of purpose-built freighter aircraft. Lufthansa Cargo had planned to retire its remaining MD-11s by December 2020, but the retirement was delayed due to the increased cargo demand caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic.

With the delivery of the firstBoeing 777F,Lufthansa Cargo started to name their aircraft in a scheme referring to typical greetings of the countries they serve. The first 777F was namedGood day, USA,while an MD-11F was namedBuenos días Méxicofor example.[25]

Former fleet

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Over the years, the following aircraft types were operated:[26]

Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 737-200F 3 1993 1995
Boeing 737-300SF 1 1994 1997
Boeing 747-200F 10 1993 2005
Douglas DC-8-73F 5 1993 1997
McDonnell Douglas MD-11F 19 1998 2021[15]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On 11 December 1978, theLufthansa heisttook place. A group of criminals managed to get into the Lufthansa Cargo offices at JFK Airport in New York City. They threatened staff by pointing guns and stole more than $5 million( 27 million today ). Only a small portion of the money was recovered.[citation needed]
  • On 26 July 1979, a Boeing 707 freighter (registration D-ABUY) operatingFlight 527crashed into a hilly slope shortly after take-off, killing all 3 crew-members on board. The cause of the accident was mainly attributed towards the lack of Brazilian Air Traffic control to pay necessary attention to aircraft in their airspace and warn aircraft of the impending collision with terrain.[27]
  • On 18 October 1983, a Boeing 747-200 freighter registered D-ABYU operating as Flight 683 overshot the runway during an aborted takeoff at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong having experienced a failure of the number 2 engine. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but was repaired and returned to service.[28]
  • On 7 July 1999, a Boeing 727-243 freighter leased fromHinduja Cargo Servicesoperating asLufthansa Cargo Flight 8533from Nepal to India, crashed into a mountain after takeoff fromTribhuvan International Airportin Kathmandu, Nepal, killing all five people on board.[29]
  • On 7 November 2004, at 16:35 local time, aBoeing 747-200freighter, owned and operated byAir Atlanta Icelandic,overshot the runway upon take-off atSharjah International Airportand was damaged beyond repair. The aircraft,registeredTF-ARR, had been leased by Lufthansa Cargo to operate Flight 8457 toFrankfurt Airport.The pilots had decided to abort the take-off run even though the remaining runway length did not suffice to bring the aircraft to a halt because of a burst tyre and theATCnotification of an alleged fire (which turned out to be not true). The four people on board were not injured.[30]
  • On 27 July 2010, at 11:38 local time,Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460,an MD-11 registered D-ALCQ, crashed upon landing atKing Khalid International Airport,Riyadh,Saudi Arabiaand was damaged beyond repair in the ensuing fire. ThePilot in commandand theOfficer— the only two people on board — were able to leave the aircraft by themselves.[31][32][33]
  • On 24 November 2013, Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8258, an MD-11 registered D-ALCE, bounced during landing atViracopos International Airportand initiated a go around. The aircraft landed with substantial damage. It was later repaired and returned to service.[34]

References

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  1. ^"Lufthansa Cargo appoints new regional managersArchived2016-08-12 at theWayback Machine."Lufthansa Cargo. 6 February 2008. Retrieved on 18 September 2009.
  2. ^"ImprintArchived2011-07-28 at theWayback Machine."Lufthansa Cargo. Retrieved on 28 May 2011." Lufthansa Cargo AG Flughafenbereich West Tor 25, Gebäude 451 D-60546 Frankfurt am Main "
  3. ^Grüneberg, Anne (24 June 2020)."Chronologie: Der tiefe Fall der Lufthansa".www.rnd.de(in German).Retrieved2023-03-21.
  4. ^"Lufthansa completes cargo formalities".FlightGlobal.3 April 1996.Retrieved19 July2020.
  5. ^"Lufthansa Cargo drops Hinduja link".FlightGlobal.4 April 2000.Retrieved19 July2020.
  6. ^"Company".time:matters.Retrieved2022-02-01.
  7. ^Russia 'Blackmails' Lufthansa over Cargo HubsSpiegel Online International 11/02/2007
  8. ^"German flights row highlights EU-Russia trade tensions".5 November 2007.Retrieved10 July2015.
  9. ^abSheahan, Maria; Maushagen, Peter (2011-12-16)."Lufthansa Cargo China near tipping point: CEO".Reuters.Retrieved2023-03-21.
  10. ^AeroLogic outlines launch and expansion plansFlight Global, 28 January 2008
  11. ^"Lufthansa Cargo eröffnet Pharma-Drehkreuz Hyderabad".airliners.de.Archived fromthe originalon 28 February 2013.Retrieved10 July2015.
  12. ^"Lufthansa Cargo gründet heyworld".Austrian Wings(in German). 5 June 2019.Retrieved18 September2022.
  13. ^"Lufthansa Cargo 'rides the waves', expanding into A321Fs and long-haul leisure".The Loadstar.2021-07-08.Retrieved2022-01-17.
  14. ^aerotelegraph.com(German) 2 September 2021
  15. ^abflugrevue.de(German) 17 October 2021
  16. ^ch-aviation.com - Lufthansa Cargo launches freighter operations from Munich19 June 2024
  17. ^"Lufthansa Cargo focuses on Latin America"(Press release). lufthansa-cargo.com. 27 September 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 15 November 2013.Retrieved14 November2013.
  18. ^"Our fleet".Lufthansa Cargo.Retrieved3 July2023.
  19. ^"Lufthansa CityLine to add two A321 freighters in 2022".Ch-Aviation.6 July 2021.
  20. ^"Lufthansa takes delivery of first A321P2F aircraft".Aerotime Hub. February 2022.Retrieved1 February2022.
  21. ^"Lufthansa Cargo continues to grow its intra-European route network with additional A321 freighters"(Press release). Lufthansa Cargo. 29 August 2022.Retrieved5 September2022.
  22. ^"Lufthansa Cargo adds third A321 freighter"(Press release). www.aircargonews.net. 3 July 2023.Retrieved3 July2023.
  23. ^ab"Lufthansa Cargo orders ten Boeing freighters"(Press release). Lufthansa Cargo. 9 May 2022.Retrieved9 May2022.
  24. ^COMKOM° GmbH, Germany."Lufthansa invests in passenger and freighter fleet".Archived fromthe originalon 15 March 2012.Retrieved10 July2015.
  25. ^"Lufthansa Cargo".Lufthansa Taufnamen.Retrieved9 November2019.
  26. ^"Lufthansa Cargo Fleet Details and History".Retrieved10 July2015.
  27. ^Ranter, Harro."ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 707-330C D-ABUY Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, RJ (GIG)".aviation-safety.net.Retrieved2022-02-18.
  28. ^Ranter, Harro."ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-230F D-ABYU Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG)".aviation-safety.net.Aviation Safety Network.Retrieved2020-11-02.
  29. ^Ranter, Harro."ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-243F VT-LCI Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport (KTM)".aviation-safety.net.Aviation Safety Network.Retrieved2020-11-02.
  30. ^Ranter, Harro (7 November 2004)."ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-230F (SCD) TF-ARR Sharjah Airport (SHJ)".aviation-safety.net.Aviation Safety Network.Retrieved10 July2015.
  31. ^"UPDATE 2-Lufthansa cargo plane crashes at Saudi airport".Reuters.27 July 2010.Retrieved2010-07-27.
  32. ^"Lufthansa cargo plane crashes at Riyadh airport".BBC News.BBC. 2010-03-27.Retrieved2010-07-27.
  33. ^Ranter, Harro (27 July 2010)."ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas MD-11F D-ALCQ Riyadh-King Khalid International Airport (RUH)".aviation-safety.net.Aviation Safety Network.Retrieved10 July2015.
  34. ^Ranter, Harro."ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas MD-11F D-ALCE São Paulo/Campinas-Viracopos International Airport, SP (VCP)".aviation-safety.net.Aviation Safety Network.Retrieved2020-11-02.
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