Apr 20, 2017: United Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo have signed a joint venture agreement for cargo operation on routes between the US and Europe. Lufthansa-United cargo joint venture plans to provide a wide range of benefits to customers by cooperating on the availability of their capacity and aligning booking and handling processes.

The carriers joint venture route network will provide greater flexibility and time savings to customers with thousands of new route combinations and more than 600 direct connections per week between the US and Europe. The combined network offering creates additional benefits through access from either partner's booking channels along with coordinated handling processes and transfers at numerous stations.

Peter Gerber, Lufthansa Cargo, CEO, said, "The Lufthansa-United cargo joint venture will generate numerous benefits for our customers because our continental and transatlantic networks, our hubs and our fleet complement each other effectively."

Jan Krems, president, United Cargo, said, "We are excited about the benefits that will be generated by our teams cooperation and our combined capacities. Cargo customers will appreciate the opportunities for quicker and easier shipping between key locations in the US and Europe."

The contract signing initiates the implementation phase of the joint venture project, during which the carriers will align their cargo IT systems and business processes with the goal to implement Business Day 1 later this year.