Lufthansa Cargo’s Frankfurt operation hit by Omicron

Lufthansa Cargo’s handling operation at its Frankfurt hub has been “significantly” affected by Omicron infections amongst staff.

The carrier told Air Cargo News that transit shipment from the US, Canada and Europe, including Germany will be affected by a transit embargo as it looks to stabilise operations at Frankfurt.

“Loose freight via the Frankfurt hub from US & Canada and Europe (incl. Germany) that has not yet been delivered can unfortunately no longer be accepted by us and transported in a timely manner,” Lufthansa Cargo said.

Sister title, DVZ, reports that around 15% of volumes handled at its Frankfurt facility will be affected by the embargo.

However, direct deliveries as well as outbound deliveries in Frankfurt are still possible.

Certain product groups may also continue to fly, this includes urgent freight (same day shipments), valuable freight, animals, organ donations, mail and temperature-controlled shipments.

“Cargo that has already been accepted by us will be handled as soon as feasible,” Lufthansa Cargo added.

The carrier also stressed that all shipments routed through its hubs in Munich, Vienna and Brussels are not affected and these facilities are operating normally.

“Due to its high transmissibility, the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus continues to keep us on our toes and the infection figures have reached new record levels,” Lufthansa Cargo said.

“Notwithstanding the extensive preventive measures in place, we are now directly witnessing the increased infection incidence.

“This is leading to a pandemic-related abnormal reduction in staffing levels, which is significantly affecting our operations at this stage.”

It added: “We firmly believe that these measures will help to stabilise the situation and that we will gradually be able to return to normal operations as soon as possible.”