Lufthansa ramps up cargo-only flights

[caption id="attachment_79346" align="alignright" width="460"] Lufthansa will be using more A330-300s as freighters to Shanghai and Beijing. (Photo: Lufthansa Cargo)[/caption] The Lufthansa Group on April 12 will increase the number of passenger aircraft operating as freighters to expand its cargo capacity offering during the COVID-19 crisis. According to Lufthansa Cargo, it will add thirty-five flights per week between Germany and China, to supplement the current fourteen weekly flights operated with 777Fs. There will be two daily A330-300 flights between Frankfurt (FRA) and Shanghai (PVG), one daily A330-300 between FRA and Beijing (PEK), one daily A350-900 between Munich (MUC) and PVG, and a daily A350-900 between MUC and PEK. Each flight will be capable of carrying approximately thirty tonnes of freight, and Lufthansa will also strip the interior cabins from at least four aircraft to maximize the available volume. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) provided updated guidance earlier in April on the transport of cargo in the cabins of passenger aircraft, saying the removal of seats requires a “major change” or supplemental type certificate (STC) application. Lufthansa operated its first cargo-only flight with an A330-300 in March, carrying supplies in the cargo compartment, passenger seats and overhead storage compartments. Austrian Airlines, another member of the Lufthansa Group, will also increase its cargo flying starting April 12, with 767-300ERs and 777-200ERs operating from Vienna (VIE) to PVG eight times a week, PEK five times a week, Penang (PEN) twice a week and Xiamen (XMN) once a week. The airline previously flew several charter flights using its 777-200ERs to XMN to pick up masks and other personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, independent German leisure airline Condor has also been flying medical supplies from China to Germany, having already carried more than 4 million face masks and around 40,000 protective suits on its passenger 767-300ERs. According to Condor, it has established a temporary hub in Almaty, Kazakhstan (ALA), where crews make stopovers on their flights to and from China. The airline is planning at least one flight per day to China in the next few days, as well as to other destinations. Instead of removing the interiors, Condor is securing about 150 cubic meters of the relatively lightweight masks and suits to the passenger flights in addition to the cargo in the belly hold.

Lufthansa ramps up cargo-only flights

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