Ok, so Germany is out of the running in the EURO 2024, but over at Lufthansa Cargo, the ‘sportspersonship’ is still strong, reflecting the nation’s grace as the games’ host this time around. On the one hand, its social media is full of best wishes for Finals between The Three Lions and La Furia Roja, tonight – may the best team win! On the other, the company has scored a couple of goals of its own these days with a few milestone events.
One such milestone was the cargo airline’s Sustainability Conference Asia in Singapore, recently. Check out CargoForwarder Global’s interview with its Head of Asia Pacific, J. Florian Pfaff, in this week’s newsletter edition, to find out more.
Asia-Pacific network expansion and focus
With the Sustainability Conference Asia following hot on the heels of the international Air Cargo China event in Shanghai and the news of another SAF partner in China, Lufthansa Cargo this week also announced the expansion of its network, highlighting two new Chinese freighter destinations ex its Frankfurt/Main (FRA) hub: Shenzhen Boa’an International Airport (SZX) will soon see a twice-weekly B777F service, while Zhengzhou (CGO) is being flown to three times per week. The cargo airline now offers 47 frequencies to a total of 19 destinations in Asia, consciously aiming to satisfy the eCommerce sector in collaboration with its two subsidiaries: heyworld and CB Customs Broker, for comprehensive eCommerce transport solutions. Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, explained: “In the Chinese market, the e-commerce business segment in particular, is growing steadily and we continue to see high demand, especially to Europe. Accordingly, additional air freight capacity is needed to transport goods quickly, compliantly, and safely. With the expansion of our Asian network, we can now serve even more important freight destinations in China for our customers. This will be possible thanks to the new B777F freighter, which we expect to receive in the course of this summer. This will not only mean enabling global business for our customers in a sustainable way, but also growing as a company in an important cargo region.”
Anand Kulkarni is Head of Global Markets
Another major milestone this week, was the creation of the post of Head of Global Markets, bringing the company’s physical sales regions and digital sales channels together under one responsibility. And the person for the job was announced at the same time: logistics veteran, Anand Kulkarni, will take up the new position on Monday 15JUL24. Reporting directly to Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo, Kulkarni’s responsibilities include leading and managing Lufthansa Cargo’s sales regions [Germany, Austria & Switzerland, Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia & CIS, Americas and Asia Pacific], as well as its Digital Sales department. With a Master’s in Finance from the London Business School, UK, and another in Transportation Engineering from the University of Connecticut, USA, Kulkarni also brings along 25 years of experience in logistics. He joins the cargo airline over from GLS [General Logistics Systems], where he was Head of Global Expansion for the past two years, developing and implementing its global growth strategy. Previous positions include more than 14 years with DHL, with a focus on Pricing, Profitabiltiy, and Performance of Global Customer Solutions in Asia Pacific and EMEA. “He was also part of DHL’s Global Aviation Strategy project which led to the creation of AeroLogic,” the release points out a very company-relevant fact. And he has otherwise carried out consultancy work in aviation strategy and finance.
Shaping the digital future of air cargo
On LinkedIn, Anand Kulkarni’s digital focus is clear as he commented: “Very excited to join Lufthansa Cargo as the Head of Global Markets. Looking forward to embarking on this journey with the amazing Lufthansa Cargo team to help deliver on our focus areas: customer centricity, sustainability, innovation.
We and our partners are shaping the digital future of the air cargo industry. With our extensive global freighter- and belly-networks; coupled with our portfolio of air cargo related companies, we are very well positioned to meet the dynamic requirements of our customers.”
The next Oktoberfest is never too far away
And certainly not now, with the start of A321 freighter services out of Munich – though the cargo airline might want to expand its catchment area at some point. Initially, the short/medium-haul freighter will serve Istanbul twice per week. The first flight bearing the number LH8351, arrived in Munich at 16:49 on Saturday 06JUL24, to a welcome ceremony attended by the airline’s Munich management division. Allegedly, the commodity focus is mainly on pharma, and the company’s hashtag is #EnablingGlobalBusiness. Given the location, however, would not #EnablingGlobalBier[Beer]ness be an idea?
