Compared to the previous year, turnover increased by 189 million euros and profit by five million euros. Turnover rose by seven percent compared to 2017, while revenue per tonne of air freight transported (yield) also increased by seven percent. The total volume of freight transported increased slightly by one percent. The available freight capacity increased by 5.3%, resulting in a slightly lower load factor of 65.9% (-3.2 percentage points).

"Our employees have done a great job for our customers with their full commitment. The result gives us further tailwind for new investments in the future," said Peter Gerber, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. "We were able to increase our unit revenues and reduce unit costs last year. We are investing the profits in modernizing our production facilities, which will further improve our cost efficiency," added Dr. Martin Schmitt, Chief Financial and Human Resources Officer.

Lufthansa Cargo will continue to modernize its fleet and market the capacities of a total of four brand-new Boeing 777 freighters this year. In addition, the infrastructure of the logistics center at the Frankfurt hub is to be modernized step by step. "We will continue to systematically drive forward digitalization along the entire transport chain. We are the first cargo airline in the world to offer our customers completely paperless freight booking and handling for standard freight. With our new, fully digital pre-check, we are now significantly speeding up and simplifying the handling processes for our customers. We will also continue to roll out the electronic dangerous goods declaration (eDGD) so that even more customers and consignors can take advantage of this digital solution," says Gerber.

Gerber was generally optimistic about future business expectations: "Unlike 2018, the current year is once again characterized by the typical weakness in the logistics market at the beginning of the year. This is currently being exacerbated by headlines surrounding Brexit and the trade dispute against the backdrop of lower global economic growth. We are therefore facing challenges again in 2019, but remain positive about the quarters ahead."