Press release -
Lufthansa Cargo launches freighter service from Brussels Airport to Chicago
- First direct freighter connection of the carrier from Belgium to the USA
- Further attractive network, especially for pharmaceuticals
Lufthansa Cargo customers can now book their cargo on a B777F directly from Brussels International Airport (BRU) to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The flight connection will be launched on 03 April 2024 and will take place twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays. The entire routing will lead from Frankfurt via Brussels to Chicago and back to the home hub in Frankfurt. This is the first time the carrier has connected Belgium directly to the American continent with a cargo aircraft.
"We are looking forward to our customers being able to book on this new route with immediate effect. Brussels Airport is an important hub for the pharmaceutical business in particular. With our new connection, we can now offer an even more attractive network, and in particular a direct connection for particularly time-critical freight, which now includes up to 34 freighter connections from Europe to North America," explains Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.
Brussels Airport is known as the preferred European pharma gateway. The airport has the largest surface of pharma warehouses in Europe and continues its investments in the redevelopment of its cargo zone. Brussels Airport’s cargo community is specialized in the handling of time and temperature sensitive goods, their stakeholders were the first worldwide to receive the CEIV Pharma certification. With a closed cold chain from warehouse to aircraft, thanks to the innovative Airside Pharma Transporters, transport of pharmaceuticals is one of the key segments for the airport’s cargo department, making use of digitization for a transparent and swift process
“We are happy to be welcoming Lufthansa Cargo in our airport community and to support their cargo operations to and from Brussels Airport. With our shared focus on the reliable and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals and a shared ambition in terms of sustainability, as they are pioneering technologies such as sharkskin technology and invest in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, they are an important asset to our cargo network,” says Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport.
As a result, the carrier's global B777F network will comprise 82 weekly connections to the world at the start of the summer flight schedule (31 March 2024) - including 34 connections per week from Europe to North America and four connections to South America, 42 direct connections from Europe to Asia and two freighter flights per week from Europe to the Middle East and Africa. The A321F fleet also complements the short and medium-haul network with up to 18 destinations. Including the belly capacities of Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines and SunExpress, the cargo expert can offer its customers a worldwide network with up to 7,000 flights per week.
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Lufthansa Cargo AG
With revenue of 3.0 billion euros and a transport performance of 7.5 billion freight ton kilometers in 2023, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the world's leading companies in the transport of airfreight. The company currently employs around 4,150 people worldwide. Lufthansa Cargo's focus is on the airport-to-airport business. The route network covers around 300 destinations in more than 100 countries, using both freighter aircraft and cargo capacity from passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines and SunExpress, as well as trucks. The majority of the cargo business is handled via Frankfurt Airport. Lufthansa Cargo is pursuing the goal of becoming the world's most environmentally friendly cargo airline. To achieve this, the company relies on state-of-the-art technologies and constant investments in the area of sustainability. In 2023, important milestones were reached, such as the investment in the continuous expansion of the B777F fleet, the expansion of short- and medium-haul networks with A321 freighters, and the continuation of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel program. In 2024, Lufthansa Cargo plans to successively equip its B777F fleet with Sharkskin technology, implement further digital services and contribute to reducing CO2 emissions through sustainable logistics solutions. Lufthansa Cargo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and the specialist for the logistics business of the Lufthansa Group.
