Lufthansa Cargo announced today it will transfer 18 flights operated in its joint venture with DHLExpress from Cologne to Leipzig/Halle Airport from October 28, 2007. Three other Lufthansa-only
flights will also relocate to Leipzig.The freighter flights are being transferred in conjunction with the opening in Leipzig of theDHL Express Europe hub, the cargo airline explained. In 2008, Leipzig is scheduled to become theDHL Express central hub in its European express network.
DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo have been jointly operating a route network between Europe,Asia and the USA with their Aerologic intercontinental joint venture since March 2004. Up to 27October 2007, a major proportion of that network will still be run through Cologne but then bere-routed through Leipzig from 28 October.
“With the flight transfers to Leipzig, DHL and Lufthansa Cargo are continuing theirlong-standing cooperation. Henceforth, Leipzig will be playing a major role for Lufthansa Cargo –alongside our hubs in Frankfurt and Munich,” said Lufthansa Cargo chairman Carsten Spohr.
The intercontinental joint venture between DHL and Lufthansa Cargo is the industry’s biggestoperative partnership between a cargo carrier and an express and courier company.
From October 28, Lufthansa Cargo will operate the following MD-11 freighter flights fromLeipzig, sharing capacity on all services with DHL Express:
Leipzig – East Midlands – Wilmington/Ohio – East Midlands – Leipzig (thrice weekly)
Leipzig – East Midlands – New York – Leipzig (five flights weekly)
Leipzig – Sharjah – Hong Kong – Sharjah – Leipzig (four flights weekly)
Leipzig – Bahrain – Singapore – Delhi – Leipzig (five flights weekly)
Leipzig –Bahrain –Hong Kong – Sharjah – Frankfurt (once weekly)
There will be no change in the other joint-venture flights:
Brussels – New York – Brussels (five flights weekly)
Frankfurt – East Midlands – Wilmington/Ohio – East Midlands – Frankfurt (once weekly)
East Midlands – Wilmington/Ohio – East Midlands (once weekly)
Additionally, Lufthansa Cargo will operate three own weekly MD-11F flights from Leipzig toAtlanta, Seoul and Istanbul, giving it a total of 21 flights to and from Leipzig.
The EUR 300 million DHL Express European air hub is due to go into full operation in August2008 once the express operator completes the transfer of its European short-haul flights from theBrussels hub. In all, about 50 DHL cargo planes are due to operate daily at Leipzig, carrying about2,000 tonnes of cargo.
