Lufthansa Cargo is expanding its operations at the southern German hub and will be operating freighters from the hub for the first time from July 6, 2024. An A321 freighter will connect Munich with Istanbul Airport twice a week, complementing the existing belly network from Munich. The new freighter connection is planned every Saturday and Sunday with flight numbers LH8350 / LH8351 and LH8346 / LH8347. Lufthansa Cargo customers can book their shipments on the new route with immediate effect.
“We are looking forward to offering our customers this new freighter connection, which makes our global network even more attractive. For our southern German customers in particular, Munich Airport offers ideal conditions for the fast and reliable transportation of air freight, which ultimately also enables global business from another important European airport. With the launch of our cargo operations out of Munich, we are laying the foundation for aligning our network even more closely with the needs of our customers in the future and continuing to manage it flexibly,” explains Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.
"The launch of regular cargo flights to Istanbul by Lufthansa Cargo is very good news for the Bavarian export industry and for Munich Airport. Above-average growth rates in the current year have already shown that Munich Airport is also becoming increasingly important as a hub airport for cargo. The attractiveness of Munich Airport as a cargo location will now receive a further boost through Lufthansa Cargo's commitment," Jost Lammers, CEO of Flughafen München GmbH.
Lufthansa Cargo operates its hub in Munich on a total area of 38,000 m². Among other things, the state-of-the-art CEIV-certified Pharma Hub MUC, in which temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products can be stored and handled under optimal conditions, is integrated into the premises. This means that the carrier can also transport almost all product and goods groups via Munich. Until now, these have mainly been transported from the Bavarian capital to destinations all over the world via the belly capacities of Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines, Austrian Airlines and SunExpress passenger aircraft. The hub is also connected to a dense RFS network, which enables smooth transportation by road.
