Lufthansa Cargo has recently launched a freighter service connecting Brussels and Chicago.

The German cargo airline said its customers can now book their cargo on a B777F directly from Brussels International Airport (BRU) to Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD).

The flight connection will be launched on April 3, 2024, and will take place twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The entire route will lead from Frankfurt via Brussels to Chicago and back to the home hub in Frankfurt.

Lufthansa Cargo noted that this is the first time the carrier has connected Belgium directly to the American continent with a cargo aircraft.

"We are looking forward to our customers being able to book on this new route with immediate effect. Brussels Airport is an important hub for the pharmaceutical business in particular. With our new connection, we can now offer an even more attractive network, and in particular a direct connection for particularly time-critical freight, which now includes up to 34 freighter connections from Europe to North America," said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.

Brussels Airport is known as a major European pharma gateway.

The airport has the largest surface of pharma warehouses in Europe and continues its investments in the redevelopment of its cargo zone.

Brussels Airport's cargo community specialises in the handling of time- and temperature-sensitive goods and its stakeholders were the first worldwide to receive the CEIV Pharma certification.

With a closed cold chain from warehouse to aircraft, thanks to the innovative Airside Pharma Transporters, the transport of pharmaceuticals is one of the key segments for the airport’s cargo department, making use of digitization for a transparent and swift process.

"We are happy to welcome Lufthansa Cargo into our airport community and to support their cargo operations at and from Brussels Airport. With our shared focus on the reliable and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals and a shared ambition in terms of sustainability, as they are pioneering technologies such as sharkskin technology and invest in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, they are an important asset to our cargo network," commented Arnaud Feist, CEO of Brussels Airport.

Lufthansa said as a result of the new freighter service, the carrier's global B777F network will comprise 82 weekly connections to the world at the start of the summer flight schedule (March 31, 2024) — including 34 connections per week from Europe to North America and four connections to South America, 42 direct connections from Europe to Asia and two freighter flights per week from Europe to the Middle East and Africa.

The A321F fleet also complements the short and medium-haul network with up to 18 destinations.