The future drivers of the air freight industry

What does the future of the air freight industry look like? Lufthansa Cargo asked itself this question once again on this year's Aviation Day on August 19. "We are currently experiencing various upheavals within the air freight industry. Sustainability, digitalization and booming online trade play a central role in this. In order to achieve this, we rely on decisive and dynamic action with all stakeholders in the industry. This is the only way we can remain fit for the future and live up to our responsibility as one of the world's leading airfreight companies and our credo 'Enabling Global Business'," says Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.

Strengthening the e-commerce business at Frankfurt Airport

It was only in May that Lufthansa Cargo presented its ambitious plans for Frankfurt Airport: This is to become one of the most important e-commerce hubs worldwide in the future. Together with two subsidiaries - the logistics service provider heyworld and the customs clearance agency CB Customs Broker GmbH - Lufthansa Cargo is thus proactively driving forward the expansion of the e-commerce business at Frankfurt Airport.

"A key success factor for online retail is the resilience and speed of the supply chain. We want to make Frankfurt a leading location in this segment by offering holistic solutions for shipping, customs clearance and onward transportation of eCommerce shipments," says Ashwin Bhat. In addition, the full-service customs agency CB Customs Broker announced a partnership with the customs clearance expert GEORGI Handling. In order to promote the eCommerce business in Frankfurt, both companies are creating a new eCommerce terminal in Cargo City South, which represents another important base for the Asian market.

Expansion of the intra-European route network

Lufthansa Cargo has been serving destinations in the short and medium-haul segment with A321F freighters for more than a year and put its third aircraft into service at the end of June. A fourth freighter will be added to the fleet in September. With the A321 fleet doubling in size to four this year, new opportunities for capacity and route network expansion are opening up, whether in the scheduled or charter business.

Lufthansa Cargo currently offers more than 50 weekly flights to 14 destinations, providing customers with a direct connection for their cargo to the hub in Frankfurt. The latest additions to the route network are Casablanca, Yerevan and Tunis. Further adjustments and expansions to the flight schedule on short and medium-haul routes associated with the fleet expansion are currently being planned in order to connect economic centers.

Digitalization initiative launched with Kuehne+Nagel on routes to Asia

A few weeks ago, Lufthansa Cargo and its customer Kühne+Nagel succeeded in transporting 100 percent general cargo between Germany and Hong Kong using electronic air waybills and digital accompanying documents. This first purely "paperless route" is the starting signal for the introduction of "paperless corridors" for efficient and resource-conscious transportation between Europe and Asia.

Lufthansa Cargo invests in sustainable measures

Lufthansa Cargo is equally ambitious in the area of sustainability: by 2030 at the latest, the company wants to halve its carbon footprint compared to 2019 in order to be CO₂-neutral by 2050. In addition to renewable fuels, the company is focusing on the continuous modernization of its fleet, fuel efficiency and digitalization. "We see great potential in AI-based applications and have already integrated them into our services. From eBooking to eTracking, we now offer our customers extensive options along the transport chain. If we want to sustainably improve the industry's carbon footprint, we must use every opportunity to further reduce our CO₂ emissions," says Nicole Mies, Head of Communications and Corporate Responsibilities at Lufthansa Cargo.