JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON
Lufthansa Cargo is to abandon its fleet of Boeing 747-200Fs as part of a wider fleet restructuring process. Three of the 747s are to be sold to Air Atlanta Icelandic and chartered back to Lufthansa Cargo on an ad hoc basis.
Lufthansa Cargo is also to take five more Boeing MD-11 passenger aircraft formerly operated by Varig and Alitalia, which are to undergo conversion to freighters over the next year and enter service from January 2005.
Lufthansa chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber says the operator wants to move towards a uniform fleet of 19 MD-11s in order to "strengthen Lufthansa Cargo's long-term competitive position".
Under the three-year contract Air Atlanta will base the three aircraft at Lufthansa Cargo's Frankfurt hub and will start operations from next June. The German cargo carrier also has an option on additional aircraft. The 747s will be operated on the Lufthansa Cargo network to Asia, the Gulf states and North America.
Source: Flight International
