Despite the fact that demand remains weak, Lufthansa Cargo is taking a chance on the Chinese economy's recovery and is increasing its freighter capacity to China for the 2023 summer flight schedule. The new schedule will be implemented on March 26th.
Ashwin Bhat, Lufthansa Cargo's Chief Commercial Officer, said,
"Looking at the Chinese market in particular, we are seeing an upturn in economic activity and thus also an increasing demand for a reliable and quality transport solutions by airfreight for sensitive and high-value goods. Accordingly, we have specifically adapted the flight schedule to meet the demands of our customers. The extensive capacity of our fleet gives us more flexibility on intercontinental routes as well as in the short- and medium-haul network,"
The frequency of Lufthansa Cargo's flights to China, operated by Boeing 777F aircraft, is being raised and rerouted in order to offer more options for the quick and straightforward transportation of goods.
Lufthansa Cargo's schedule adjustment for the coming summer
In order to meet the corresponding demand for the 2023 summer flight schedule, Lufthansa Cargo will be revising its freighter route network across short-, medium- and long-haul routes. The increase in long-haul flights to China could provide customers with more flexible capacity for swift and direct shipment of their goods. Furthermore, the Airbus A321F network of Lufthansa Cargo will be broadened on short- and medium-haul routes.
Lufthansa Cargo's 2023 summer flight schedule includes 79 weekly intercontinental connections. Sixteen Boeing B777F aircraft will be based at the international hub in Frankfurt and will be used to service all of its long-haul destinations. The route network will be extended to include flights to China with ten weekly freighter flights to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), and two of these connections will also fly to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), thus doubling the capacity there.
In addition, the number of weekly flights to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) will increase from five to six, with a stop in Almaty (ALA) - a destination that was previously part of the route network in 2019 and will now be reinstated. The combined service from Frankfurt via Mumbai (BOM) to Hyderabad (HYD) will also be increased to two flights per week.
Lufthansa Cargo will keep its familiar Boeing 777F rotations running to North and South America, as well as from Tel Aviv (TLV) to Cairo (CAI), in the summer flight schedule. For short- and medium-haul routes, the airline will still provide more than 50 weekly connections with two Airbus A321Fs. At the end of July, the Airbus A321F fleet will expand to four aircraft. Adjustments and extensions to the flight schedule for short- and medium-haul routes are still being devised.
The 2023 summer flight schedule will feature Lufthansa Cargo offering more than 7,000 flights a week through Lufthansa Group airlines. This includes Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings Discover, and SunExpress. These airlines have seen their load capacities grow significantly with the resumption and increased frequency of passenger flights, and cargo transport now accounts for nearly half of Lufthansa Cargo's capacity.