Lufthansa Cargo to expand intra-European network with new A321 freighters

Lufthansa Cargo will begin offering more capacity in its medium-haul network on specially converted Airbus A321 freighters in October 2022. In March 2022, the first freight flight of its sort took launched from Frankfurt to Dublin. Because of the good market reaction and ongoing high demand from the eCommerce and Same-Day sectors, the second aircraft of this kind will join the scheduled operation in October.

The second A321F, registered D-AEUA, is now being converted in Singapore. The twin-engine, technologically sophisticated narrow-body aircraft is both powerful and fuel-efficient. It has the same design as the first A321 freighter (D-AEUC, 'Hello Europe') and can carry 28 tonnes of cargo on 14 pallets and container slots on the main deck and 10 on the lower deck. Lufthansa Cargo can continue to expand its footprint in the fast-growing eCommerce industry by providing well-known quality service and products.

Similar to the first A321F, the second aircraft will also be based at the Frankfurt hub and operated by Lufthansa CityLine under the wet lease agreement. Both A321Fs will operate under Lufthansa Cargo flight numbers. As a Group company, Lufthansa CityLine has worked intensively in recent months on the technical and operational preparation of the first two converted aircraft of this type in Germany. The new destinations in the intra-European network include Birmingham (BHX), London (LHR) and Madrid (MAD). The existing destinations Istanbul (IST), Tel Aviv (TLV), Malta (MLA), Tunis (TUN), Dublin (DUB), Manchester (MAN) and Cairo (CAI) will continue to be served, while Istanbul and Tel Aviv will see additional frequencies.

"I am very pleased about the expansion of our A321 freighter network and capacity. Complementing our B777F and belly capacity, we can now offer even shorter transport times within European and to selected medium-haul destinations. To the UK and Ireland, for example, we will offer daily weekday flights to Birmingham and Dublin, enabling our customers to build reliable, scalable and fast supply chains. It is our goal to build a European Same-Day and eCommerce network and thereby establish Lufthansa Cargo as the leading European cargo airline and service partner in the market. In addition to Lufthansa Cargo's high-quality standards on the ground, the A321 freighter is a very flexible aircraft, which will enable us to build customized networks and solutions for our customers", says Ashwin Bhat, Lufthansa Cargo's Chief Commercial Officer.

Lufthansa Cargo continues to focus on intra-European network growth in light of the dynamic market development and continued strong demand for Same-Day and eCommerce solutions. Two more A321 freighters are scheduled to arrive in the first part of 2023. This implies that Lufthansa Cargo will more than treble its A321F capacity in the future and will endeavour to deploy these aircraft to meet the demands of individual customers.