In a first, Lufthansa Cargo ships a car in the bellies of Eurowings

February 2, 2018: Lufthansa Cargo recently carried out the first commercial transport of a vehicle (A SEAT Arona)  from Cologne to southern Africa on board an Airbus 330 Eurowings passenger aircraft. This was on behalf of the specialist logistics company IQS Group. In the future, automotive customers will benefit from an expanded network and higher cost efficiency due to the reduced space requirement for loading.

While cars that fit on an aircraft pallet can be loaded into passenger aircraft in the normal way, larger vehicles have to be transported with a freighter. Lufthansa Cargo and its partner Aircargo Consulting have therefore developed a special process that now makes it possible to transport even larger vehicles in the bellies of Eurowings.

“This was preceded by several meetings with all parties involved, subsequent process descriptions and an operational risk analysis. We have started with destinations in southern Africa and are planning to expand to other Eurowings destinations," explains Joachim Binte, director Sales and Handling at Lufthansa Cargo in Cologne. 

Together with the loading specialists of Aircargo Consulting, a perfect team was formed. "With our expertise and the loading techniques we have developed, including the construction of a loading simulator, we ensure that the needs of our customers are met in the best possible way", emphasizes Matthias Pfeilschifter, commercial director of Aircargo Consulting.