Lufthansa Cargo expands to the transpacific as capacity crunch looms

Lufthansa Cargo is launching its first direct service from Asia to the US as market demand from the region continues to surge.

The carrier today announced it would add a new Boeing 777 freighter service operating with a loop of Frankfurt, Ho Chi Minh, Los Angeles International and Frankfurt.

It will also boost frequencies to several other destinations (see below).

“This is the cargo carrier’s first direct connection from the Asian market to the US network, offering cargo customers an even faster, high-quality connection between the two continents,” Lufthansa said in a press release.

“With the expansion of new routes and direct connections, Lufthansa Cargo is underlining its long-term growth plans in a dynamic market environment.”

The carrier also announced an increase in its frequencies to destinations in India and Taiwan to accommodate the continued growth in e-commerce shipments, as well as other cargo types.

In the Asia Pacific region, Lufthansa Cargo is increasing its weekly freighter capacity to Mumbai (BOM) and Taipei (TPE) by one flight per week.

Chennai (MAA) will be served twice weekly in combination with Hyderabad (HYD) or Mumbai (BOM).

And in August, the carrier announced the addition of Shenzhen (SZX) and Zhengzhou (CGO) to its route network.

With the latest changes, the cargo carrier can now offer its customers a total of 50 weekly frequencies to Asia.

The increase in frequencies is primarily due to the entry into service of the carrier’s 18^th B777F freighter, which was transferred from the Boeing plant in Seattle to Frankfurt in mid-August.

In addition, the freighter rotation from Frankfurt via Tel Aviv (TLV) to Cairo (CAI) will be increased by one weekly flight with a 777F.

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 (IST) and back.

Lufthansa Cargo chief executive Ashwin Bhat said: “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.”

The Winter schedule 2024/2025 can be booked from October 6 and takes effect on October 27.

The move comes as freight forwarders and industry observers have been predicting a capacity crunch out of Asia in the peak season due to surging e-commerce volumes and modal shift from ocean shipping due to the Red Sea crisis.

Other airlines have also been looking to re-position capacity to the Asia region as they look to capitlaise on market conditions in the region.

Qatar Airways and Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP) announced they were moving freighter flights from the Latam market to Asia Pacific.

Qatar Cargo told Air Cargo News it would suspend its 777 freighter services to Santiago and Viracopos starting in September.

The two stations will continue to be supported through its partnerships and alliances with other carriers, it said.

Freighter flights to Bogotá, Quito, and Guarulhos will continue as planned.

Meanwhile, freighter frequencies to India, China, Vietnam and Europe will be increased.

And Martinair announced that in September it would launch a new Boeing 747-400 freighter service between Amsterdam Schiphol and Hong Kong via Dubai offering around 110 tonnes of capacity per flight.

As a result of the new Hong Kong flights, some of its services in Latin America will be suspended.

A glance at the current AKLMP Latin America freighter network shows flights to Guatemala City, Quito, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and Santiago.

An updated map only includes flights to Bogota, which will operate three times per week via Miami.

Cargolux has also reportedly added capacity to the Asia region, although it declined to comment when approached by Air Cargo News.