With the addition of a twice-weekly service to Hanoi, Lufthansa Cargo has doubled freighter capacity to Vietnam, highlighting the increased demand for air cargo service in Vietnam as multinational corporations diversify their sourcing away from China.
According to Deutsche Lufthansa Group’s cargo subsidiary, the flights will be operated by AeroLogic, a joint venture with DHL Express, using Boeing 777 cargo jets. The first flight to Vietnam’s capital took off from Lufthansa’s hub in Frankfurt, Germany, on Nov. 2 and stopped in Mumbai, India. The only airline that connects Hanoi and Frankfurt is Lufthansa.
Lufthansa Cargo already operates all-cargo flights to Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s largest city and manufacturing center, twice a week.
According to Lufthansa, the new route is in response to growing export volumes from Vietnam to Europe, particularly in electronics, automotive parts, and apparel. The large aircraft can carry 27 containers on the main deck and 10 standard pallets in the lower hold and has a maximum payload of 103 tons.
AeroLogic operates five 777 freighters for Lufthansa Cargo, which charters the aircraft from DHL, markets the capacity, and collects the revenues.
Adding Hanoi to Lufthansa Cargo’s network is part of an effort to increase the number of frequencies and destinations in Asia, including Seoul, South Korea, and Hong Kong.
Vietnam is a rapidly expanding air cargo market.
Foreign carriers dominate the air cargo market in Vietnam. After shipping, demand softened during the summer and it faced difficulties obtaining an operating license from Vietnamese authorities, a local startup backed by a wealthy retail conglomerate recently scrapped plans to become the first domestic all-cargo carrier. Both Vietnam Airlines and Vietravel Airlines have stated that they intend to begin all-cargo operations shortly.
