On September 12, 2024, Lufthansa Cargo announced its updated winter schedule for 2024/2025, presenting significant enhancements for its customers. The airline revealed an increase in cargo flight capacity, with a total of 89 weekly connections operated by Boeing 777F aircraft, seven more than the summer schedule. Among the most noteworthy changes is the introduction of a transpacific route connecting Asia directly to the United States.
This new weekly service, using a Boeing 777F, operates from Frankfurt, with a stopover in Ho Chi Minh City before heading to Los Angeles, and then returning to Lufthansa Cargo’s main hub in Germany. It marks the company’s first direct connection between the Asian market and its U.S. network. Lufthansa Cargo is not only expanding its routes but also increasing cargo capacity with new flights to key destinations.
Specifically, the airline will increase the frequency of flights to Mumbai and Taipei in the Asia-Pacific region, adding one weekly flight to each destination. Additionally, the route to Chennai will be served twice a week, combined with Hyderabad or Mumbai, further strengthening the carrier’s presence in India. The recent addition of new Chinese destinations, such as Shenzhen and Zhengzhou, will allow Lufthansa Cargo to offer up to 50 weekly connections to Asia. The expansion in China and India reflects the growing demand for shipments related to e-commerce and other goods requiring high-quality services.
Another significant change involves the flight from Frankfurt via Tel Aviv to Cairo, which will see an increase of one weekly rotation using a Boeing 777F. Meanwhile, the continental network in Europe will remain largely unchanged, with the A321F continuing to serve existing routes. Since July, the cargo service from Munich to Istanbul has become one of the most important direct connections for customers in southern Germany.
"Lufthansa Cargo continuously assesses all opportunities to offer our customers seamless and high-quality connections, with the goal of enabling global business even more efficiently and sustainably," said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. "With a comprehensive revision of our schedule and network, we’ve managed to optimize rotations. In the future, some of our cargo aircraft will make fewer stops, allowing our customers to benefit from direct connections and faster transports within our global network."
The expansion of cargo capacity has been made possible by the introduction of the airline’s 18th Boeing 777F, delivered by Boeing to Frankfurt in mid-August 2024. This development has enabled further increases in frequencies to strategic destinations. The winter schedule for 2024/2025 will be available for bookings starting October 6 and will take effect on October 27.