Lufthansa Cargo and All Nippon Airways Cargo have expanded their joint network in Japan with the addition of Fukuoka and Sapporo.

“Thanks to the joint venture, we can connect the wide European network of Lufthansa Cargo with the direct connections of both partners to Japan and the continental de-feeder flights of ANA,” said Carsten Wirths, area manager of Europe and Africa at Lufthansa Cargo. “Customers of both partners in Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain and Austria will benefit.”

Customers using either partner’s reservation systems will be able to book ANA flights from Tokyo Haneda to the two cities. Fukuoka started on December 1, while Sapporo will begin at a later date.

“Fukuoka and its region are important centres for the steel and automotive industries, as well as for semiconductor technology, electronics, environmental and biotechnology,” said Yukata Terao, project manager of cooperations at ANA Cargo. “These are sectors which substantially profit from air freight.”

The two carriers launched their bilateral joint venture on flights from Japan to Europe in December 2014, and expanded it to cover flights from Germany, France, Great Britain and Austria to Japan in August 2015.