Lufthansa Cargo and DHL Express launch cargo carrier

Deutsche Post World Net and Deutsche Lufthansa AG are founding a joint cargo airline through their subsidiaries DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo. The new company, based in Leipzig (LEJ), in which DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo each hold a 50 per-cent stake, will have the legal form of a private limited company (GmbH). It will focus on transporting airfreight and express shipments into and out of Asia. Flight operations are scheduled to begin in April 2009.

The new cargo carrier will initially operate with 11 new Boeing 777-200LRF aircraft. The 777F has a comparable noise footprint to MD-11F but provides 20% higher payload. The aircraft will be leased and are scheduled for delivery from February 2009. The cargo capacities of the new airline will be utilised by Lufthansa Cargo und DHL Express. The two partners will continue to take care of marketing and handling those capacities independently.

Pending the granting of traffic rights, the new airline will gradually expand its route network from the summer schedule 2009. On weekdays, it will be serving Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Bombay, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Nagoya, Almaty, East Midlands and Milan. At weekends, it will fly to Shanghai, Astana, Singapore, Bangkok, Sharjah, Hong Kong, Chicago and New York.

Aside from pure airfreight traffic, the two companies will each alone be responsible for warehousing and trans-shipment at Leipzig/Halle Airport. DHL Express will handle its express shipments in the newly built cargo centre. Lufthansa Cargo will shortly be building its own modern logistics centre right nearby.

The name of the new company and its branding will be decided at a later date.

UPDATE: The name will be AeroLogic

Source: dpwn

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