Freight Lufthansa Cargo continues fleet modernization

An eighth Boeing 777 Freighter has been delivered to Lufthansa Cargo, the freight subsidiary of Lufthansa Group. On Monday, the aircraft – registered as D-ALFH – touched down in Frankfurt after a nine-hour flight from Everett Airport in Washington State, US.

The aircraft was named “Namaste India”, just as a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Freighter that has already been phased out. And this replacement shows that Lufthansa Cargo is pushing toward a more modern aircraft fleet.

With new and fuel-efficient aircraft like the Boeing 777F, the cargo airline can operate more cost-efficient and operational cost-reduced flights to destinations around the globe.

Peter Gerber, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo confirmed: "The investments in our fleet are a significant contribution to the sustainable improvement of our economic and ecological efficiency. We want to make air cargo as fast, safe and environmentally friendly as possible."

D-ALFH is the first aircraft of a deal to purchase two B777Fs, which was announced back in November 2019.  The second aircraft is already being built and is expected to be delivered to Lufthansa Cargo in the coming weeks, subject to the flight tests of the aircraft.

Regarding the fleet modernization plan, Lufthansa Cargo stated: "The new arrivals are part of a fleet modernization program that began in 2014 and will be completed next year. The twin-engine Boeing 777F is around 20 percent more efficient and emits less CO2 than the previously used three-engine MD-11F. The new model also meets the strict noise protection requirements of ICAO Annex 16, Volume I, Chapter 14."

As of now, Lufthansa Cargo operates with eight Boeing 777Fs and six McDonnell Douglas MD-11Fs. On average, the MD-11 fleet is nearly 22 years old, while the 777F fleet averages 4.5 years in age. The first 777F was delivered in November 2013.

Lufthansa Cargo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and was established in 1977 as German Cargo. In 1993, Lufthansa took over and now main hubs at Frankfurt, Novosibirsk and Sharjah have been installed.