Lufthansa Cargo has expanded into transpacific flights with the start of a direct Boeing 777 freighter service from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) in Vietnam to Los Angeles (LAX) in the US.
The first flight on the service was operated using a 777F with the identification D-AALO. The aircraft initially took off from Frankfurt (FRA) for Vietnam on Saturday October 26.
Then on Sunday October 27, flight LH8019 took off from SGN to LAX, operated by Lufthansa Cargo and DHL joint venture subsidiary AeroLogic.
The freighter, bearing DHL livery, then flew back from LAX on Sunday October 27, arriving at the carrier’s FRA home hub on Monday October 28.
Lufthansa Cargo confirmed in September that it would launch its first direct service from Asia to the US as market demand from the region continues to surge.
The move is part of a wider trend for freighter operators to add capacity out of Asia in response to rising e-commerce volumes from th
“This new freighter connection highlights our commitment to connecting economies by responding to the demand of the rapidly growing economy in Vietnam, which can now be seamlessly connected to the US even faster," said Lufthansa Cargo chief executive Ashwin Bhat.
"This service reinforces our purpose of enabling global business, which is why we are continuously examining the possibilities of establishing new routes and growing in dynamic market environments."
With the new flight schedule, Lufthansa Cargo said it is now offering its customers 89 weekly 777F connections worldwide. This includes 50 frequencies to 17 destinations in Asia, reflecting the strong demand in the region driven by e-commerce.
Lufthansa Cargo chief operations officer Dietmar Focke is due to step down from his role on October 31, but Lufthansa Cargo has not yet announced who will be heading up cargo operations in place of Focke.
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