Lufthansa Cargo is strengthening its strategic partnerships in China by signing various cooperation agreements with the Shanghai Airport Authority, Air China Cargo, and China Postal Express & Logistics Co., Ltd.

The German cargo airline said China's rapid growth had transformed it into a global economic powerhouse and is one of the most important markets in the airfreight industry — and with production hubs specializing in high-tech commodities, the country also has enormous potential for the airfreight sector.

Lufthansa noted that the booming Chinese e-commerce sector and the increasing importance of cross-border trade from China provide additional growth opportunities in the airfreight industry. 

Deal with the Shanghai Airport Authority

Lufthansa Cargo said it has taken a significant step in strengthening its partnership with the Shanghai Airport Authority by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a framework to further develop cooperation in focused areas, enhancing operational efficiencies, and improving customer experiences through innovative solutions and shared expertise.

It also recognizes the strategic goal of jointly developing Shanghai Pudong Airport into the world's most competitive Asia-Pacific core hub and actively exploring ways to deepen the partnership.

Both companies are committed to leveraging their strengths and resources to drive the success of this partnership and achieve their shared objectives.

"The MOU represents a significant milestone in our collaboration and sets the stage for a deeper and more fruitful partnership in the future," said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.

"Shanghai is the biggest freight hub for Lufthansa Cargo next to our hub in Frankfurt and the MoU gives us the confidence and commitment to further contribute to business excellence in this strategically important market," he said.

Bhat also met with Shanghai Vice Mayor Hua Yuan to report on Lufthansa Cargo's industry status and strategic direction in Shanghai and China.

Lufthansa Cargo entered the Chinese market in the late 1990s and opened a freight service connecting Shanghai and Frankfurt in 1997. Since then, it has successively opened multiple cargo flight points in Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Taipei. In 2024, it added one new route to Frankfurt from Zhengzhou and Shenzhen, respectively.

MoU with Air China Cargo

Air China Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo also signed an MoU that will take the long-lasting partnership of both carriers to the next level.

Under the terms of the MoU, Air China Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo will work closely on a number of aspects.

"Lufthansa Cargo is pleased to manifest the long-standing relationship with Air China Cargo with this MoU. The relationship will improve our service offerings to our customers since we share a common commitment to take the cooperation to the next level," Bhat said.

Air China Cargo CEO Jun Li said the cooperation between the two parties will further stabilize the logistics corridor between China and Germany and will provide customers with more choices and solutions.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa Cargo and China Postal Express & Logistics Co., Ltd announce strategic cooperation in the areas of innovation, digitalization and sustainability as areas of collaboration.

Lufthansa Cargo and China Postal Express have also recently announced a strategic cooperation framework aimed at deepening their partnership and promoting mutual development.

Within a joint memorandum of understanding, the two parties have outlined their intentions to innovate and collaborate in various areas over the next five years.

The cooperation framework includes joint innovation and development, capacity and transport offer, improving settlement efficiency, digitalization, global cooperation, and environmentally sustainable development.

Lin Zejian, deputy general manager, CPEL, said "China Postal Express & Logistics Co., Ltd. and Lufthansa Cargo Airlines have a history of more than ten years of cooperation and the new strategic cooperation is not only conducive to consolidating the existing business cooperation between the two sides, but also can develop more commercial value in new business fields.

The two parties are optimistic about the potential of this cooperation framework and are confident that it will lead to a new level of partnership and success in the air transport and logistics industry.