New DHL Lufthansa JV launched

AEROLOGIC, the joint venture cargo airline of DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo, today officially started operations. With the delivery of its first Boeing 777F aircraft AeroLogic will serve the Europe–Asia trade lane. It’s first flight will be on 29 June.

It will initially serve the express routes Leipzig – Bahrain – Singapore – Delhi – Leipzig on weekdays and the cargo routes Leipzig – Tashkent – Hong Kong – Tashkent – Leipzig on weekends. By 2010, the airline will gradually expand the network to offer new direct connections to most of Asia’s major metropolitan areas.

AeroLogic will operate with eight leased new B777F freighters, the first four of which are expected to be delivered this year.

“The new airline shows a strong commitment of both partners to extend their services for their customers and to establish a new strong global player in the industry,” said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, chief executive officer of Lufthansa.

“In light of an inevitably recovering market, the strengthening of vital trade lanes through the cost-efficient shared use of the most modern freighter aircraft currently available must be viewed as a smart investment,” said Frank Appel, chief executive officer of Deutsche Post DHL.

“We are making available to our customers the most efficient air freight capacity in the market, while at the same time proving that we are serious about our continued commitment to improving the group’s environmental footprint, in line with our GoGreen strategy and the announced 30 per cent carbon efficiency improvement target by 2020,” Appel added.

Cargo capacities will be marketed individually by the two partners In addition to the Europe – Asia routes, in the future it will also serve Lufthansa Cargo’s EU-North America routes. The first commercial flight of AeroLogic is scheduled for 29 June, 2009.