Lufthansa Cargo plans 1st direct Asia-US flight

With the newly published timetable, Lufthansa Cargo is offering customers 89 weekly B777F freighter connections worldwide, seven more than in the summer timetable.

"A significant development in the winter timetable is a transpacific flight: a weekly rotation of a B777F freighter connects Frankfurt via Ho Chi Minh City with Los Angeles, and then returns to the home hub in Frankfurt," says an official release.

This is the cargo carrier's first direct connection from the Asian market to the U.S. network, offering cargo customers a faster, high-quality connection between the two continents, the release added. "With the expansion of new routes and direct connections, Lufthansa Cargo is underlining its long-term growth plans in a dynamic market environment and underlining its purpose of Enabling Global Business."

Ashwin Bhat, CEO, Lufthansa Cargo says: "Lufthansa Cargo is constantly reviewing all possibilities to offer its customers seamless, high-quality connections and to enable global business even more efficiently and sustainably. With a comprehensive review of our existing schedule and network, we have been able to optimise our rotations. In the future, some of our freighters will have fewer stopovers, allowing our customers to benefit from direct connection and transportation of their freight within our global network."

For the winter schedule, the cargo carrier is increasing its frequencies to destinations in India and China to accommodate the continued growth in e-commerce shipments and other goods, the release added. "The increase in frequencies is primarily due to the entry into service of the 18th B777F freighter in the fleet, which was transferred from the Boeing plant in Seattle to Frankfurt in mid-August. In addition, the A321F fleet will operate up to 34 weekly medium-haul and short-haul flights connecting our two hubs Frankfurt and Munich."

In the Asia-Pacific region, Lufthansa Cargo is increasing its weekly freighter capacity to Mumbai and Taipei by one flight per week. Chennai will be served twice weekly in combination with Hyderabad or Mumbai. With the recent addition of Shenzhen and Zhengzhou to its route network, the cargo carrier can now offer 50 weekly frequencies to Asia, the release added.

"In addition, the freighter rotation from Frankfurt via Tel Aviv to Cairo will be increased by one weekly flight with a B777F. The continental network will remain largely unchanged with the A321F fleet, which since July has also been offering cargo customers, particularly in southern Germany, a direct connection from Munich to Istanbul and back."

The winter schedule 2024/2025 can be booked from October 6 and takes effect on October 27, the release added.