The ten older MD-11 freighters, which have already been partially replaced by Boeing 777Fs this year, are expected to be withdrawn from the fleet by the end of 2020.
"We are investing in maximum reliability and significantly lower emissions," said Peter Gerber, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board of Lufthansa Cargo. "The modernisation of our fleet is the biggest contribution we can make to the future in the short term.”
Due to the higher cargo capacity and range, the same freight performance can be achieved in the future with fewer aircraft movements.
Meanwhile, on November 5 Lufthansa Cargo launched a weekly freighter service between Frankfurt and Miami International airport, returning to the Miami market after more than 25 years. All flights will utilise B777 freighter aircraft and will be operated on a Tuesday evening.
Said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez, “Our community already benefits from the daily world-class passenger service Lufthansa provides, and we look forward to the additional economic impact its cargo service will have on our community.”
Germany is MIA’s top European trade partner by value, with imports and exports between the two markets amounting to $2.2bn in 2018.
“The Lufthansa Group already has a strong presence in Florida,” said Norbert Pahlsmeyer, Director Sales and Handling Florida for Lufthansa Cargo. “MIA is served by four daily flights to Europe with great connections to the world – and we are now adding the weekly freighter to serve additional demand for outsized and special cargo, connecting MIA to the global Lufthansa Cargo freighter network.”