Lufthansa Cargo launches freighter flights to Ha Noi, doubling capacity to Viet Nam

Ashwin Bhat, Chief Commercial Officer at Lufthansa Cargo speaks at the event. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

Lufthansa Cargo, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, on Thursday anounced it has added Ha Noi as a new destination in its global route network for the winter flight schedule 2022/23.

Since the inaugural flight taking place in Frankfurt on November 2, Lufthansa Cargo has been flying to Ha Noi twice a week. With the existing two weekly flights to HCM City, the German cargo airline is thus doubling its capacity to Viet Nam and is the only one in the market to connect the capital Ha Noi with Frankfurt – the largest hub in Germany with numerous other connections by air and road feeder services within the European Union.

The total of four weekly freighter flights from Viet Nam results in a regular cargo capacity of 250 tonnes per week.

“It’s the first station we have opened since 2018 in our international market and that shows the importance that we are giving to Viet Nam and Ha Noi in our network,” said Ashwin Bhat, Chief Commercial Officer at Lufthansa Cargo, at the station opening on Thursday.

HCM City and Ha Noi have grown rapidly in recent years. As a production location, Viet Nam has recorded a high export volume, including to Europe, with high demand for air freight transportation.

Doan Bich Thuy, country manager of Lufthansa Cargo to Viet Nam, said Viet Nam’s air cargo market has risen rapidly in the past ten years, from 0.6 million tonnes in 2011 to 1.5 million tonnes in 2021. The volume is expected to reach 4.1 million tonnes by 2030.

Key export products including automotive parts, clothing and footwear are among the most frequently flown goods from Viet Nam, accounting for about 58 per cent of Viet Nam’s total export value in 2022.

All freighter services to Viet Nam are operated with Boeing 777F aircraft by AeroLogic – a joint venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo. Lufthansa Cargo's long-haul fleet consists of a total of 16 Boeing 777F aircraft with a capacity of up to 103 tonnes each. — VNS