Press release - 21 November 2023 15:00

Lufthansa Cargo starts construction of new Frankfurt hub and invests in state-of-the-art warehouse system at Frankfurt Airport

Lufthansa Cargo invests around 500 million euros in construction and modernization of Cargo City North
Lufthansa Group's largest construction project starts with partner Ed. Züblin AG after having completed preliminary work during first phase of construction

With its LCCevolution project, Lufthansa Cargo is pressing ahead with modernizing the Frankfurt hub: In August of this year, construction work began on the new, 40-meter-high tall high-bay warehouse, including the automated transport system and the first building modules in the north of Frankfurt Airport. In addition to the new building, the existing buildings and warehouses of the Lufthansa Cargo Center are to be upgraded and modernized or replaced by new buildings. Lufthansa Cargo is investing a total of almost 500 million euros in the major project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2030 and will cover an area of more than 70,000 square meters.

“With a throughput share of around 80 percent of Lufthansa Cargo's global cargo volume, the Frankfurt hub plays a decisive role in the operational success of Lufthansa Cargo,” says Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. The modernization and new buildings will further improve turnaround times and increase efficiency at Lufthansa Cargo's central location. “For our customers, this means faster handling speeds, easier transport processes and an improvement in service quality,” Bhat adds.

The implementation and detailed planning of the central construction measures for the next eight years will be carried out together with construction partner Ed. Züblin AG of Frankfurt. “With Züblin, we have gained an experienced expert in building construction and civil engineering who will support us with individual and customized solutions. We are delighted to be tackling the Lufthansa Group's largest construction project together with Ed. Züblin AG,” says Stefan Dürr, head of the infrastructure program at Lufthansa Cargo and project manager of LCCevolution. In addition to Ed. Züblin AG, the mechanical engineering company BLEICHERT Automation GmbH & Co. KG is a key partner in the construction of the high-bay warehouse. Furthermore, planning of the logistics systems for the large-scale project is being carried out with the expertise and support of io-consultants GmbH & Co. KG. The contract was successfully signed by all partners on November 21 at Frankfurt Airport.

The first parts of the automated transport system and the construction of the first two building modules are expected to be completed between 2023 and 2027. “A particular challenge of this project is the implementation of a complex construction project while the regular operation of the hub must be guaranteed 24/7, and the gradual improvement of the hub as the new elements are put into function,” explains Dietmar Focke, Chief Operations Officer at Lufthansa Cargo. Johannes Graf, Technical Director of Ed. Züblin AG, adds: “The revitalization and renewal of the cargo hub at Frankfurt Airport gives us the opportunity to demonstrate our technical expertise at one of Europe's largest transportation hubs. We are proud to be working with Lufthansa Cargo on this project from the planning phase through to construction. We would like to thank them for their partnership and constructive cooperation.”

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Lufthansa Cargo AG

With revenue of 4.6 billion euros and a transport performance of 7.2 billion freight ton kilometers in 2022, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the world's leading companies in the transport of airfreight. The company currently employs around 4,100 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 2022, 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 2023, 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.