Lufthansa Cargo Names Boeing 777F Freighter ‘Namaste India’ at Ceremony in Mumbai
- Joe Breitfeller
- Jun 1, 2022
- 2 min read
In recognition of decades of cargo connections between India and Germany, Lufthansa Cargo held an official naming on Tuesday (May 31st) where a Boeing 777F Freighter was named ‘Namaste India’ at Mumbai Airport.
On Wednesday (June 1, 2022), Lufthansa Cargo announced that the carrier held an official aircraft naming ceremony at Mumbai Airport on Tuesday (May 31st). In recognition of the decades of cargo connections between India and Germany, as well as an increase in flight and cargo capacity to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai since March, a Boeing 777F Freighter, registration D-ALFH, was officially named ‘Namaste India.’ The freighter originally joined Lufthansa Cargo’s fleet in August 2020, but the naming ceremony was delayed due to the pandemic. Yesterday’s ceremony was held prior to departure of flight LH8361 from Mumbai to Frankfurt and was officiated by Lufthansa Cargo’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ashwin Bhat, in the presence of the cargo carrier’s Vice President Asia Pacific, J. Florian Pfaff, customers and station team members.
In Wednesday’s announcment, Lufthansa Cargo’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ashwin Bhat, said,
“For decades, Lufthansa Cargo has been an important and reliable partner in and for India. I am extremely pleased to personally mark this partnership and success story in the context of this freighter naming ceremony in my home city. It is our goal to continue connecting India with other markets around the world and to support the strong development of the Indian economy.
“On a positive note, since the reopening of Indian airspace for commercial passenger flights in March 2022, we have more than tripled the number of passenger flights. From ten weekly passenger flights, we now offer a total of 32 weekly connections. At the same time, we increased to four weekly freighter flights to Mumbai and thus considerably offer more options for our customers to transport their goods with the flexibility, reliability and quality that Lufthansa Cargo is known for. And there will be more to come.”
Lufthansa Cargo has been naming their freighters since 2013, with the simple guiding principle “Say hello around the world.” The cargo airline has connected Indian air cargo customers since 1959, with further freighter operation growth in the 1970s and expansion continuing to this day. Lufthansa Cargo currently offers four weekly Boeing 777F flights between Frankfurt and Mumbai, as well as two weekly flights to Bengaluru and Chennai. Additionally, the carrier offers passenger aircraft belly-hold capacity from Frankfurt and Munich to Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. During 2021 Lufthansa Cargo carried nearly 65,000 tons of cargo to and from India, down from the pre-pandemic level of 108,000 tons in 2019.
With revenue of €3.8 billion and 7.2 billion freight ton kilometers in 2021, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the world’s leading air freight companies, employing approximately 4,200 team members worldwide. The cargo carrier serves around 300 destinations in over 100 countries with a dedicated fleet of freighters, as well as belly-hold cargo capacity of passenger aircraft operated by Lufthansa German Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings Discover and SunExpress. In 2022, the airline will equip their fleet of dedicated freighters with Sharkskin technology to reduce drag, and expand their SAF program to further reduce CO2 emissions. The company also operates an extensive road feeder service network. Lufthansa Cargo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and is the Group’s logistics specialist.
Source: Lufthansa Cargo
