Lufthansa Cargo to invest €600 million for modernising Frankfurt hub
Renovation will be carried out in stages with cargo handling continuing seamlessly in 330,000 m² Lufthansa Cargo Centre.
With an investment volume of almost €600 million, Lufthansa Cargo is focusing on comprehensive modernisation by 2030, which will make the Lufthansa Cargo Centre (LCC) at Frankfurt Airport Europe's most modern air freight hub.
"Numerous guests from the worlds of politics and business as well as employees, customers and project partners attended the ceremony at the LCCevo construction site to mark the start of construction, which has already begun. To commemorate this important milestone for the company, the participants filled and sealed a time capsule," says an official release.
Ashwin Bhat, CEO, Lufthansa Cargo says: "Lufthansa Cargo enables global business and connects world markets in a more sustainable way. The LCCevo project represents our drive for growth and excellence. In times of global tensions and changing customer demands, we need innovative solutions that meet our, our customers' and society's needs. This is only possible with a modern infrastructure. For our customers, we want to optimise efficiency and quality and make our service even faster and more seamless. For our employees, we want to create attractive and future-proof jobs for the next generations in our newly designed Home of Cargo. At the same time, LCCevo underscores our strong ties to our home base and strengthens Frankfurt Airport's role as a central cargo hub in Europe."
(From left): Dominique Prümm, Board Member, Aviation and Infrastructure, Fraport; Dietmar Focke, COO, Lufthansa Cargo; Mike Josef, Mayor, Frankfurt; R. Alexander Lorz, Hessian Minister of Finance; Ashwin Bhat, CEO, Lufthansa Cargo; Michael Niggemann, Member of the Board, Deutsche Lufthansa and Chairman, Supervisory Board, Lufthansa Cargo, and Frank Bauer, CFO, Lufthansa Cargo.
Michael Niggemann, Member of the Executive Board, Deutsche Lufthansa adds: "This investment by the Lufthansa Group is a clear commitment to the Frankfurt location and symbolises our confidence in the long-term future of the airfreight business. This flagship project makes our cargo business at the Frankfurt hub fit for the future. It increases quality and efficiency for customers, creates sustainable jobs for our colleagues, and enables even more environmentally friendly ground processes. At the same time, we are making a significant contribution to the performance of airfreight in the heart of Europe and thus enabling global traffic for our economy."
Since its opening in 1982, the LCC has been in continuous operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and has played a central role in global airfreight traffic, the release added. "The modernisation programme includes the gradual renewal of all central functions by 2030, including cargo handling facilities, storage and conveyor technology, building technology, administrative buildings and IT systems. With a total area of around 330,000 m² - the equivalent of around 46 football pitches - it is one of the largest air freight hubs in Europe."
Lufthansa Cargo is carrying out the project without interrupting operations, and requires the cooperation of all parties involved to ensure smooth operations, the release added. "We are working closely with partner companies such as Züblin and Bleichert Automation who are contributing their expertise to the successful implementation, which is fully on schedule so far," says project manager Stefan Dürr.
During the current construction phase, Lufthansa Cargo is renovating or building new facilities on an area of around 55,000 m². A milestone is the construction of a 42-metre high-bay warehouse, which will be the second-highest building at Frankfurt Airport, the release added.
