German Red Cross picks Lufthansa Cargo for transport of humanitarian aid

Dec 02, 2016: Lufthansa Cargo and the German Red Cross humanitarian aid organisation have now signed an agreement that will put their cooperation on global aid transports on an even more efficient footing for the future.

Peter Gerber, CEO and chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo, and Christian Reuter, secretary general of the German Red Cross, signed the framework agreement, December 1, at Frankfurt Airport. This cooperation will considerably simplify and accelerate the preparation of aid flights. This will facilitate the provision of effective support and supplies to those in need during crisis situations in which aid is required quickly.

“Thanks to the new cooperation, we will be able to transport German Red Cross aid supplies even faster to disaster zones. When every minute counts, strong partners who can work together optimally are needed,” said Gerber.

“As Germany’s largest humanitarian aid organisation, we operate in more than 50 countries. We are really delighted to have Lufthansa Cargo on board, a partner we can rely on in a disaster,” added Christian Reuter, German Red Cross.

Lufthansa Cargo has already been active in helping aid organisations to transport relief supplies for disasters time and again in the past.

Transports by air play an important role if not enough of the goods needed, such as medications or drinking water treatment systems, can be sourced in the country in question or if they are of insufficient quality. The disaster relief organisations also benefit from Lufthansa Cargo’s many years of experience in the area of charters. With Network-on-demand, Lufthansa’s cargo arm can transport aid shipments quickly, professionally and flexibly to all destinations within and outside of the Lufthansa network.

Photo: Christian Reuter, German Red Cross and Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Cargo in front of MD-11 freighter D-ALCA.