Lufthansa Cargo will launch new freighter service between Brussels and Chicago, marking the first direct freighter connection between Belgium and the U.S. Starting April 3, 2024, the route will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays with a Boeing 777F.
On Wednesday (March 13, 2024), Lufthansa Cargo announced the launch of new nonstop service between Brussels International Airport (BRU) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which will become the only direct freighter connection between Belgium and the U.S. Starting April 3, 2024, the route will operate twice weekly on Mondays and Wednesdays with a Boeing 777F freighter. Flights will originate in Frankfurt and then travel to Chicago via Brussels.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Lufthansa Cargo’s CEO, Ashwin Bhat, said,
“We are looking forward to our customers being able to book on this new route with immediate effect. Brussels Airport is an important hub for the pharmaceutical business in particular. With our new connection, we can now offer an even more attractive network, and in particular a direct connection for particularly time-critical freight, which now includes up to 34 freighter connections from Europe to North America.”
Also commenting on the new route, Brussels Airport’s CEO, Arnaud Feist, said,
“We are happy to be welcoming Lufthansa Cargo in our airport community and to support their cargo operations to and from Brussels Airport. With our shared focus on the reliable and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals and a shared ambition in terms of sustainability, as they are pioneering technologies such as sharkskin technology and invest in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, they are an important asset to our cargo network.”
Brussels Airport serves as a major European pharma gateway, and offers the largest pharma warehouses by surface area in Europe. The airport’s cargo community is specialized in handling time and temperature sensitive goods, and were the first worldwide to receive CEIV Pharma certification. Thanks to the innovative Airside Pharma Transporters, Brussels Airport offers a closed cold chain from warehouse to aircraft.
With the new Frankfurt-Brussels-Chicago route, Lufthansa Cargo’s global B777F network will offer 82 weekly connections for summer 2024. This includes 34 weekly connections from Europe to North America, four to South America, 42 direct connections to Asia, and two freighter flights weekly to the Middle East and Africa. Lufthansa Cargo’s B777F network is complemented by the carrier’s Airbus A321F short and medium-haul network, with service to up to 18 destinations.
With revenue of €3.0 billion and 7.5 billion freight ton kilometers in 2023, Lufthansa Cargo is one of the world’s leading air freight companies, employing approximately 4,150 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. The airline is currently equipping their fleet of dedicated 777 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