China Post and Lufthansa Cargo have entered into a “Joint Freight Operation” agreement, under which China’s National Post will leverage capacity on Lufthansa Cargo flights to improve e-commerce-driven air mail transportation between China and Europe.
Initially, Lufthansa Cargo will provide the Post with cargo capacity between Shanghai and Frankfurt that is “equivalent” to a weekly 777F flight.
Rather than operating a 777F solely on China Post’s behalf, the deal will likely resemble a block space agreement, in which China Post will have regular access to Lufthansa’s scheduled cargo and passenger flights.
According to the most recently published winter schedule, Lufthansa Cargo operates ten weekly 777F flights between Shanghai (PVG) and Frankfurt (FRA). In addition to the freighter flight, Lufthansa operates at least eighteen weekly widebody passenger flights out of the Yangtze River Delta gateway.
Although Lufthansa Cargo has long provided lift to China Post on outbound flights from key destinations in China, such as Beijing and Guangzhou, following the new agreement, there are signs the scope of their cooperation could grow. The two companies say they are jointly exploring the development of other international routes.
