LEADING freight airline Lufthansa Cargo has not discovered any ‘stable recovery’ in global markets in the first six months of 2014, says its chief executive Peter Gerber, writes Thelma Etim, deputy editor.
The sharpest decline has come in demand from the Middle East and Africa transport regions.
During the period, the German carrier employed a flexible, demand-driven capacity management stratagem, pushing its load factor to more than 70 per cent – far higher than the industry average.
“In this environment, it’s important that we remain vigilant and can respond quickly,” Gerber adds.
Flexibility in its scheduling has allowed the carrier to adapt quickly to match demand and ensure the profitability of individual connections.
Disciplined capacity management ensured that Lufthansa Cargo was one of the few cargo airlines in the world to maintain solid profitability last year.
Meanwhile, continued investment in B777Fs, as part of its fleet renewal plan, is helping to increase levels of efficiency, whilst lowering costs and the impact on the environment.
“With four brand new B777 freighters now in use, we have even more ways of aligning our network to best meet the needs of our customers,” emphasises Gerber.
