Nippon Cargo Airlines resumes Frankfurt service after 16 years

Nippon Cargo has begun twice-weekly Boeing 747-8 freighter services to Frankfurt, marking the expansion of its network in Germany.

Nippon Cargo Airlines will operate its Frankfurt service twice weekly with departures from Tokyo Narita on Thursdays and Saturdays. On Thursdays, flight KZ006 leaves Narita at 21:05 hrs, stopping in Anchorage at 11:00 hrs and Amsterdam at 07:15 hrs the following day, before continuing as KZ055 to Frankfurt, where it arrives at 12:30 hrs.

The return leg departs Frankfurt at 14:45 hrs and lands back in Narita at 10:55 hrs the next day. On Saturdays, flight KZ040 departs Narita at 23:15 hrs, reaches Anchorage at 13:10 hrs, and arrives in Frankfurt at 10:00 hrs the following day. The return service, KZ041, departs Frankfurt at 13:45 hrs and arrives in Narita at 09:55 hrs the next day.

The aircraft, registered as JA16KZ, operated its inaugural flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Frankfurt (FRA) on September 5 (Friday) at 12:50 hrs and returned to Narita at 16:52 hrs, according to Flightradar24 data.

Notably, the carrier has returned to Frankfurt after a 16-year gap. In a LinkedIn post, Fraport AG, the global airport operator best known for managing Frankfurt Airport (FRA), highlighted the development.

“This strengthens our position as one of Europe’s leading airfreight hubs,” says Roland Weil, VP Cargo Sales at Fraport.

According to an official release from Nippon Cargo Airlines, the launch of the route remains subject to approval by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as well as the relevant German authorities.

Following regulatory approval, ANA Holdings (ANAHD) recently completed the full acquisition of Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) from Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) on August 1 through a simplified share exchange.

Nippon Cargo Airlines currently operates 8 Boeing 747-8 freighter aircraft.