Lufthansa Cargo: Support for Deutsche Post and Santa Claus

Dec. 18, 2017

In order to ensure that the enormous volume of Christmas mail and parcels between Germany and the USA is dealt with smoothly and on time, Lufthansa Cargo has briefly expanded its freight capacity for Deutsche Post AG. From mid-November until shortly before Christmas Eve, an MD-11 is taking off each Monday on the route Frankfurt – New York / JFK – Frankfurt. The Atlantic will be crossed a total of six times in each direction – exclusively for Deutsche Post, and especially in the service of Santa Claus.

"In the six weeks before Christmas in particular, our Airmail/eCommerce product is in great demand for packages sent on short notice and deadline-sensitive shipments," explains Alexis von Hoensbroech, Chief Product and Sales Officer at Lufthansa Cargo. "For this reason, we increased our capacity exclusively for our close partner Deutsche Post AG in recent years. However, 2017 is a special situation, as we have never before organised so much additional cargo space on such short notice."

Despite the high cost, this measure is a matter of course, von Hoensbroech emphasises.

"We know that many gifts will only manage to make it under the tree on time thanks to these extra flights," he says.

In addition, they support many small and medium-sized companies and eCommerce platforms in Germany in particular in gaining access to the major global players during the time of year with the highest turnover.

Details: An additional MD-11 is flying the route FRA – JFK – FRA six times in the run-up to Christmas. Sixty tons of freight can be carried on each flight – with most of it being seasonal greetings and gifts. The first plane took off on 13 November, and the last flight travels from FRA to JFK on 18 December with a return on 19 December.

About the product: Airmail/eCommerce is the Lufthansa Cargo product for delivering important letters and parcels in the fastest way possible. A tailor-made timetable, a strong network with many cooperation partners and above all the three Airmail hubs in Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna guarantee on-time delivery. The skills and expertise of three experienced logistics professionals is pooled at Airmail Center Frankfurt: Thanks to Lufthansa Cargo, airport operator Fraport AG and Deutsche Post DHL, up to four hundred tons of international airmail are handled quickly and effectively each day.

Lufthansa Cargo ranks among the world’s leading air freight carriers. In the 2016 business year, the airline transported around 1.6 million tonnes of freight and mail and sold 8.4 billion revenue tonne-kilometres. The company currently
employs about 4500 people worldwide. Lufthansa Cargo focuses on the airport-to-airport business. The cargo carrier serves around 300 destinations in more than 100 countries with its own fleet of freighters, the belly capacities of passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Eurowings, and an extensive road feeder service network. The bulk of the cargo business is routed through Frankfurt Airport. Lufthansa Cargo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.