Lufthansa Cargo and ANA Cargo have announced plans to expand their joint venture for freight consignments on routes from Europe to Japan. The expansion is designed to provide European customers with access to the shared network of the two airlines which is made up of over 90 weekly direct flights between Europe and Japan. The shared network adds more direct connections to the two airlines’ networks, offering faster transit times to shippers.
To begin with customers in Germany, France, the UK and Austria will participate in the partnership. The companies plan for all other European countries to follow step by step. Lufthansa Cargo and ANA Cargo flights currently connect Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, London Heathrow, Paris Charles-de-Gaulle and Vienna with Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya and Osaka.
As well as sharing their route networks the airlines are also handling freight together at numerous stations in shared warehouses across Japan and Europe.
Peter Gerber, Chairman and CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, stated that demand has been consistently high since the partnership began, “By the end of April, more than 800 additional consignments had been carried with a total volume of around 940 tonnes”.
