Lufthansa Cargo is adding new destinations to its European route network starting in April as it announced two more freighters are underway.

In a statement, the carrier said the new freighter destinations include Larnaca (Cyprus), Athens and Milan.

In total, Lufthansa Cargo will serve twelve destinations in the intra-European short- and medium-haul network on more than 50 weekly flights with Airbus A321 freighters.

As of April 12, Lufthansa Cargo's summer flight schedule will be expanded to include two weekly connections to Larnaca on Cyprus in a combined routing with the Greek capital Athens, offering customers a fast connection for their cargo on a direct route to the hub in Frankfurt with onward transportation to destinations worldwide.

In addition, a weekly connection to Milan complements the service and links Lombardy in northern Italy with Central Europe and the rest of the world.

Two more freighters

Lufthansa Cargo currently operates two A321F freighters.

In the announcement, Lufthansa noted that by late summer, the fleet would be expanded to a total of four aircraft.

As a twin-engine, technically advanced narrow-body aircraft, the Airbus A321 freighter is very powerful and, at the same time, fuel-efficient.

A total of 28 tons of payload is available on 14 pallet and container positions on the main deck and ten on the lower deck.

Lufthansa Cargo added that the adjustments and extensions to the flight schedule on short- and medium-haul routes associated with the further expansion of the fleet are currently still in the planning stage.

"We look back with satisfaction on the first year of A321 operations and are delighted with the positive response and increasing demand from our customers. All signs are pointing to growth at Lufthansa Cargo. With Larnaca, Athens and Milan, we have now added further very promising destinations to our route network," said Ashwin Bhat, chief commercial officer at Lufthansa Cargo.

"We want to expand our presence with our well-known service and product quality both in the fast-growing e-commerce segment and in the field of individual transport solutions according to customer needs," he added.