Lufthansa Cargo now flies to two new Asian stations with its long-haul B777F fleet, departing from its main hub in Frankfurt. Notably, the airline has added Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport to its cargo flight network, serving it twice a week. Additionally, Lufthansa Cargo has recently started operating cargo flights to Zhengzhou three times a week.
Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, explained: "In the Chinese market, the e-commerce business segment is steadily growing, and we continue to see strong demand, especially towards Europe. Consequently, more air transport capacity is needed to move goods quickly, in compliance with regulations and safely. With the expansion of our Asian network, we can now serve even more important cargo destinations in China for our customers. This will be made possible by the new B777F cargo aircraft, which we expect to receive over the summer. This will not only enable global business for our customers sustainably but also allow us to grow as a company in an important region for cargo."
With the two new Chinese destinations, Lufthansa Cargo can now offer its customers a total of nineteen destinations with 47 weekly frequencies in Asia, providing crucial additional capacity for the rapid and direct transport of their goods. The Lufthansa Cargo Group is well-positioned in the e-commerce sector, thanks to its subsidiaries heyworld and CB Customs Broker, who are experts in the field. Through their expertise, cargo customers benefit from integrated and holistic solutions for shipping, customs clearance, and compliant transport of e-commerce shipments.
The German airline has also appointed Anand Kulkarni as the new Head of Global Markets, effective from July 15, 2024. This new managerial position was created to strengthen overall sales, unifying all sales regions and the digital sales department under one leadership. Kulkarni will lead and manage sales in various geographical areas, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia and CIS, Americas, and Asia Pacific. In his new role, he will report directly to Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.
With 25 years of experience in the logistics sector, Kulkarni was previously responsible for global expansion at General Logistics Systems (GLS Group). He spent fifteen years in various executive positions at DHL, covering regions such as Asia Pacific and EMEA. Additionally, he was part of DHL’s global aviation strategy project, which led to the creation of AeroLogic.
Kulkarni’s career also includes experiences in the United States, where he worked for a management consulting firm specializing in strategy and finance in the aviation sector. He collaborated with a wide range of aviation value chain operators, including aircraft manufacturers, leasing companies, airlines, financial and legal firms, and regulatory authorities.
