Lufthansa Cargo may add flights to Delhi

Expects boost in air freight demand as manufacturing expected to get a filiip under Make in India

Lufthansa Cargo is considering an increase in frequency to Delhi as a part of its plan to grow business in India.

At present Lufthansa Cargo flies a MD-11 freighter aircraft once a week to Delhi and the airline believes there is a room for adding more cargo only flights to the city.

While Lufthansa expects a boost in air freight demand from India as manufacturing is expected to get a filiip under Make in India programme, the airline's current cargo business is under pressure due to over capacity and competition from the Gulf carriers.

" India is one of the important market for us. Currently we serve Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad which handle about 88 per cent of all international air freight from India. We are looking to increase service to Delhi. We will play to our strength which is our network in Europe and North America and improve our services," said Alexis von Hoensbroech, member of executive board of Lufthansa Cargo.

The airline also offers a road feeder service in South India enabling connectivity to shippers in cities such as Kochi and Coimbatore. Lufthansa operates 67 passenger and 13 freight flights per week to India. Last year the airline reported 86 per cent freight load from India last year.