Lufthansa Cargo
Encyclopedia
Lufthansa Cargo AG
is a cargo airline
from Germany
, operating worldwide air freight and logistics services on behalf of Lufthansa
, of which it is a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is headquartered in Building 451 of the Frankfurt Airport
area in Frankfurt
, the major hub
of Lufthansa. Lufthansa Cargo does not only offer space on its own freighters, but also has access to the cargo capacities of more than 300 Lufthansa passenger aircraft (including Condor, SunExpress
and Austrian Airlines
).
, between 1977 and 1993 (earlier still, cargo operations were executed in-house, already under the Lufthansa Cargo name), when in an effort to restructure the company the cargo division was re-integrated into the mother concern, 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).
Thus, Lufthansa Cargo was created as a limited stock company on 30 November 2004, along with Lufthansa Cargo Charter. Concerning its airline codes
, Lufthansa Cargo uses LH (the same IATA code as Lufthansa), as well as GEC (the former ICAO code of German Cargo). Lufthansa is unique compared to its mayor European competitors like British Airways
and Air France
in that the cargo business is organized in an entirely different airline entity. For some years, Lufthansa Cargo (including the freight transported in the cargo holds of mainline Lufthansa passenger aircraft) was the leading cargo airline in terms of international freight tonne-kilometres carried, but has meanwhile been surpassed by Cathay Pacific
and Korean Air Cargo.
, the seventh busiest freight hub in the world, where the airline enjoys a strong co-operation with Fraport
, 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.
In earlier years, Lufthansa Cargo had a secondary base at Leipzig/Halle Airport
, the European hub for DHL Express
, from where it operated flights on behalf of DHL. Activities at this airport gradually came to an end following the formation of AeroLogic
as a joint venture
between Lufthansa and DHL, which henceforth caters for the DHL flights, allowing Lufthansa Cargo to concentrate on other services.
In 2000, Lufthansa Cargo was a founding member of the WOW Alliance
, a global cargo airline alliance
, but left in 2007 as it did not see any benefits for the future.
Lufthansa Cargo used to operate a hub for intra-Asian flights at Astana International Airport
in Kazachstan, but was forced to relocate it to Yemelyanovo Airport
in Russia
in 2007, because otherwise the airline would have been banned from entering Russian airspace, in what was described as an act of economic blackmailing by the Russian authorities.
In 2008, Jade Cargo International
founded as a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines
, Lufthansa Cargo, and the German Investment Corporation
, a German governmental entity, thus allowing Lufthansa Cargo for a stronger presence in the Asian markets.
In May 2011, Lufthansa Cargo opened another hub at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, in order to transport temperature-sensitive goods, especially pharmaceuticals, between South East Asia and Europe (and onwards to the United States).
As of June 2011, the Lufthansa Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 15.4 years, all of which feature the Lufthansa livery:
To commemorate the event of "100 years of Air Cargo" in 2011, an MD-11 (the one registered
D-ALCC) was painted in a special livery, featuring photos of cargo operations in the past.
, and was expanded by cargo-converted former Lufthansa mainline Boeing 747-200s. From 1998, the airline began to gradually phase out all other aircraft types in favor of a fleet entirely consisting of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11
.
Over the years, the following aircraft types were operated:
In March 2011, the order of five Boeing 777F was announced, the same aircraft type which had earlier been chosen for AeroLogic
.
Aktiengesellschaft
Aktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
is a cargo airline
Cargo airline
Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...
from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, operating worldwide air freight and logistics services on behalf of Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
, of which it is a wholly owned subsidiary. The company is headquartered in Building 451 of the Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport may refer to:Airports of Frankfurt, Germany:*Frankfurt Airport , the largest airport in Germany*Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport, a general aviation airport*Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , a converted U.S...
area in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, the major hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...
of Lufthansa. Lufthansa Cargo does not only offer space on its own freighters, but also has access to the cargo capacities of more than 300 Lufthansa passenger aircraft (including Condor, SunExpress
SunExpress
SunExpress is an airline based in Antalya, Turkey. It operates scheduled and charter flights to destinations in Europe. Its main base is Antalya International Airport .-History:...
and Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Austria, headquartered in Office Park 2 on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat, Wien-Umgebung and a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Together with regional subsidiary Tyrolean Airways and charter arm Lauda Air, it operates...
).
History
Lufthansa had already operated a cargo subsidiary, called German CargoGerman Cargo
German Cargo Services GmbH, operating as German Cargo, was an airline from Germany that operated cargo flight on behalf of Lufthansa, of which it was a wholly owned subsidiary.-History:...
, between 1977 and 1993 (earlier still, cargo operations were executed in-house, already under the Lufthansa Cargo name), when in an effort to restructure the company the cargo division was re-integrated into the mother concern, 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).
Thus, Lufthansa Cargo was created as a limited stock company on 30 November 2004, along with Lufthansa Cargo Charter. Concerning its airline codes
Airline codes
This is a list of airline codes. The table lists the IATA airline designators, the ICAO airline designators and the airline call signs...
, Lufthansa Cargo uses LH (the same IATA code as Lufthansa), as well as GEC (the former ICAO code of German Cargo). Lufthansa is unique compared to its mayor European competitors like British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
and Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
in that the cargo business is organized in an entirely different airline entity. For some years, Lufthansa Cargo (including the freight transported in the cargo holds of mainline Lufthansa passenger aircraft) was the leading cargo airline in terms of international freight tonne-kilometres carried, but has meanwhile been surpassed by Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
and Korean Air Cargo.
Operations and subsidiaries
As of 2011, all Lufthansa Cargo aircraft are based at Frankfurt AirportFrankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport may refer to:Airports of Frankfurt, Germany:*Frankfurt Airport , the largest airport in Germany*Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport, a general aviation airport*Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , a converted U.S...
, the seventh busiest freight hub in the world, where the airline enjoys a strong co-operation with Fraport
Fraport
Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide is a German transport company which operates the Frankfurt International Airport serving Frankfurt am Main and holds interests in the operation of several other airports around the world. In the past the firm also managed the smaller Frankfurt-Hahn...
, 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.
In earlier years, Lufthansa Cargo had a secondary base at Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport, sometimes called Schkeuditz Airport , is located in Schkeuditz, Saxony and serves both Leipzig, Saxony and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany.It has more than two million passengers per year....
, the European hub for DHL Express
DHL Express
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
, from where it operated flights on behalf of DHL. Activities at this airport gradually came to an end following the formation of AeroLogic
Aerologic
AeroLogic GmbH, a joint-venture between DHL Aviation and Lufthansa Cargo, is a German cargo airline headquartered in Schkeuditz, Saxony. It operates cargo flights out of Leipzig/Halle Airport and Frankfurt, most of which are on behalf of its parent companies....
as a joint venture
Joint venture
A joint venture is a business agreement in which parties agree to develop, for a finite time, a new entity and new assets by contributing equity. They exercise control over the enterprise and consequently share revenues, expenses and assets...
between Lufthansa and DHL, which henceforth caters for the DHL flights, allowing Lufthansa Cargo to concentrate on other services.
In 2000, Lufthansa Cargo was a founding member of the WOW Alliance
WOW Alliance
WOW Cargo Alliance is a global cargo alliance between SAS Cargo Group and Singapore Airlines Cargo.WOW is the world's second largest Cargo alliance consisting of only 2 Members and is currently competing with the only other Cargo alliance, SkyTeam Cargo....
, a global cargo airline alliance
Airline alliance
An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate on a substantial level. The three largest passenger alliances are the Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld. Alliances also form between cargo airlines, such as that of WOW Alliance, SkyTeam Cargo and ANA/UPS Alliance...
, but left in 2007 as it did not see any benefits for the future.
Lufthansa Cargo used to operate a hub for intra-Asian flights at Astana International Airport
Astana International Airport
Astana International Airport is an international airport in Kazakhstan located 14 km outside of the capital Astana.-History:The airport traces its history to 1931 when Astana's first airfield was constructed...
in Kazachstan, but was forced to relocate it to Yemelyanovo Airport
Yemelyanovo Airport
Yemelyanovo International Airport is a major airport in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia located 37 km northwest of Krasnoyarsk. It opened for operations in 1980. Presently, Yemelyanovo makes regular cargo and passenger flights of over 40 Russian and overseas carriers...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 2007, because otherwise the airline would have been banned from entering Russian airspace, in what was described as an act of economic blackmailing by the Russian authorities.
In 2008, Jade Cargo International
Jade Cargo International
Jade Cargo International is a cargo airline with its headquarters on the sixth floor of the Shenzhen Airlines Flight Operations Building on grounds of Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China. It operates cargo services to Asia,...
founded as a joint venture between Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines is a domestic and international airlines headquartered in Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Bao'an District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China....
, Lufthansa Cargo, and the German Investment Corporation
German Investment Corporation
Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft translates into German Investment Corporation. DEG is a member of KfW Bank Group , an arm of the government of the Federal Republic of Germany....
, a German governmental entity, thus allowing Lufthansa Cargo for a stronger presence in the Asian markets.
In May 2011, Lufthansa Cargo opened another hub at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, in order to transport temperature-sensitive goods, especially pharmaceuticals, between South East Asia and Europe (and onwards to the United States).
Destinations
Lufthansa Cargo operates flights to 39 destinations in 23 countries.Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a three-engine medium- to long-range widebody jet airliner, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and, later, by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Based on the DC-10, it features a stretched fuselage, increased wingspan with winglets, refined airfoils on the wing and smaller... |
includes last MD-11 ever built | ||
| to be delivered from 2016 | |||
| Total | 18 | 5 |
To commemorate the event of "100 years of Air Cargo" in 2011, an MD-11 (the one registered
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
D-ALCC) was painted in a special livery, featuring photos of cargo operations in the past.
Fleet development
The initial fleet of Lufthansa Cargo had previously belonged to German CargoGerman Cargo
German Cargo Services GmbH, operating as German Cargo, was an airline from Germany that operated cargo flight on behalf of Lufthansa, of which it was a wholly owned subsidiary.-History:...
, and was expanded by cargo-converted former Lufthansa mainline Boeing 747-200s. From 1998, the airline began to gradually phase out all other aircraft types in favor of a fleet entirely consisting of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11
McDonnell Douglas MD-11
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a three-engine medium- to long-range widebody jet airliner, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and, later, by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Based on the DC-10, it features a stretched fuselage, increased wingspan with winglets, refined airfoils on the wing and smaller...
.
Over the years, the following aircraft types were operated:
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | ||
| Boeing 747-200 | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 McDonnell Douglas MD-11 The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 is a three-engine medium- to long-range widebody jet airliner, manufactured by McDonnell Douglas and, later, by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Based on the DC-10, it features a stretched fuselage, increased wingspan with winglets, refined airfoils on the wing and smaller... |
||
In March 2011, the order of five Boeing 777F was announced, the same aircraft type which had earlier been chosen for AeroLogic
Aerologic
AeroLogic GmbH, a joint-venture between DHL Aviation and Lufthansa Cargo, is a German cargo airline headquartered in Schkeuditz, Saxony. It operates cargo flights out of Leipzig/Halle Airport and Frankfurt, most of which are on behalf of its parent companies....
.
Accidents and incidents
- On 7 November 2004 at 16:35 local time, a Boeing 747-200 freighter, owned and operated by Air Atlanta IcelandicAir Atlanta IcelandicAir Atlanta Icelandic is a charter and cargo airline based in Kópavogur, Iceland. It specialises in leasing aircraft on an ACMI /wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger and cargo capacity. It also operates charter services for Icelandic tour operators...
, overshot the runway upon take-off at Sharjah International AirportSharjah International AirportSharjah International Airport is located in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.Sharjah Airport is the second largest Middle East Airfreight Hub in terms of cargo tonnage, according to official 2009 statistics from Airports Council International...
and was damaged beyond repair. The aircraft, registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
TF-ARR, had been leased by Lufthansa Cargo to operate Flight 8457 to Frankfurt AirportFrankfurt AirportFrankfurt Airport may refer to:Airports of Frankfurt, Germany:*Frankfurt Airport , the largest airport in Germany*Frankfurt Egelsbach Airport, a general aviation airport*Frankfurt-Hahn Airport , a converted U.S...
. 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 the ATCAir traffic controllerAir traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
notification of an alleged fire (which turned out to be not true). The four persons on board were not injured.
- On 13 September 2009, a Lufthansa Cargo McDonnell-Douglas MD-11 (registered D-ALCO) was damaged in a heavy landing at Mexico City International AirportMexico City International AirportBenito Juárez International Airport , in Venustiano Carranza, one of the sixteen boroughs into which Mexico's Federal District is divided, is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico...
following Flight 8240 from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Post landing inspection revealed that there were wrinkles in the fuselage skin and the nose gear was bent, but the aircraft could be repaired and returned to service.
- On 27 July 2010 at 11:38 local time, Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460 was an international cargo flight, operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, which, on 27 July 2010, crashed upon landing at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.- Aircraft :...
, an MD-11 registered D-ALCQ, crashed upon landing at King Khalid International AirportKing Khalid International AirportKing Khalid International Airport is located north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by the architectural firm HOK.The airport includes the terminals, mosque, the control tower and two parallel runways, each long...
, RiyadhRiyadhRiyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and was damaged beyond repair in the ensuing fire. The Pilot in commandPilot in commandThe pilot in command of an aircraft is the person aboard the aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the "captain" in a typical two- or three-pilot flight crew, or "pilot" if there is only one certified and qualified pilot at the controls of...
and the First Officer — the only two persons on board — could leave the aircraft by themselves.