Lufthansa Cargo has named one of its planes “Merhaba Turkey” (“Hello, Turkey”) as part of its aircraft naming convention which revolves around the theme of “say hello around the world.”
The aircraft, registration D-ALCE, is a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter which was delivered to Lufthansa Cargo in October 1998. The name highlights the fact that Turkey is a major cargo market for Lufthansa.
“In recent years, Turkey has become one of the most dynamic air cargo markets in the world,” says Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht, head of operations at Lufthansa Cargo, at a ceremony at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. “We serve the most important commercial centres in Turkey with frequent passenger flights and cargo-only flights, linking them with our global route network.”
D-ALCE is the sixth Lufthansa Cargo plane to be named in the past 12 months, according to a statement from the company. The other five, four Boeing 777 Freighters and an MD-11F, have been named “Good Day, USA,” “Jambo Kenya,” “Ni Hao, China,” “Olá Brazil,” and “Konnichiwa Japan.”