Lufthansa Cargo said it is now offering up to 14 additional weekly cargo flights between Frankfurt and Shenzhen as the coronavirus crisis continues to push demand for airfreight capacity.

Lufthansa said the first aircraft, an Airbus A330-300 from Lufthansa, took off from Shenzhen on May 18 carrying around three million respiratory masks and other medical protective equipment, which will be flown to Frankfurt on behalf of the logistics company Fiege.

"As a reliable partner, Lufthansa Cargo has played an important role in the stable supply chain from Asia to Germany in recent weeks. The new cargo flights from Shenzhen ensure that we can make this supply chain even more flexible, so that urgently needed goods arrive quickly in Germany", said Michael Völlnagel, CEO Fiege International Freight Forwarding.

Shenzhen Airport and the International Cargo Center Shenzhen noted that the launch of the Lufthansa connection is a further step in the internationalization of Shenzhen Bao'an Airport.

Currently, all 17 Lufthansa Cargo freighters are in continuous operation to fly medical supplies all over the world.

Lufthansa said from and to mainland China alone, 16 flights a week are currently operated with Boeing 777F wide-body freighters with a standard load capacity of around 103 tonnes.

"Lufthansa Cargo is doing its utmost to strengthen security of supplies by air and maintain supply chains. We are continuing to expand our services to ensure the fast transport of large quantities of urgently needed goods," said Dorothea von Boxberg, chief commercial officer Lufthansa Cargo.

With the newly opened route to Shenzhen, a total of up to 49 additional weekly flights with Lufthansa passenger aircraft for the transportation of goods are offered in China.

Since the cabin space of these aircraft can also be loaded with cargo, Lufthansa said the average cargo capacity in practice is about 30 tonnes each. Parts of the cabin equipment were removed from ten A330-300s to accommodate a larger cargo volume.