Lufthansa Cargo, ANA explore expanded cargo partnership

Lufthansa Cargo, SWISS WorldCargo, All Nippon Airways and Nippon Cargo Airlines have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in the air cargo market between Japan and Europe.

Building on the past alliance between Lufthansa Cargo and All Nippon Airways, the MoU provides a framework for the four carriers to explore potential areas of collaboration and assess how their combined networks and capabilities could deliver greater value to customers.

Lufthansa Cargo and All Nippon Airways have a long history of cooperation, having established a cargo joint venture covering the Japan-Europe market in 2014. However, the partnership was suspended in September 2023 following restructuring within ANA Holdings’ cargo business.

Building on their previous collaboration, the two airlines are now entering a new phase of discussions to explore the possibility of resuming the cargo joint venture, with SWISS WorldCargo and Nippon Cargo Airlines also included in the proposed cooperation.

The four airlines will explore opportunities to deliver greater value to customers by improving network connectivity between Japan and Europe. This could include additional routing and capacity options, along with greater flexibility and a wider choice of services.

“Japan is an important market for Lufthansa Cargo, and our long-standing relationship with All Nippon Airways has enabled us to serve customers reliably for many years. Together with SWISS WorldCargo and Nippon Cargo Airlines, we now want to explore how we can leverage our respective brand strengths, networks and expertise to create even greater value for our customers. By offering even more options and flexibility between Japan and Europe, we are further delivering on our mission of enabling global business,” said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.

“Europe and Japan are both key markets for customers that rely on trustworthy, high-quality air cargo services for care-intensive and time-critical shipments. Bringing together our strong European network and specialised cargo expertise with the capabilities of our partners could provide customers with an even broader range of transport solutions,” said Alain Chisari, Head of SWISS WorldCargo.

“All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa Cargo have built a strong foundation over many years. We are pleased to renew our dialogue and broaden our cargo joint venture to include Swiss WorldCargo and Nippon Cargo Airlines. By bringing together the individual strengths of all four carriers, we aim to respond even more effectively to the diverse logistics needs of customers in Japan and Europe,” said Kenichi Wakiya, Executive Vice President, Cargo Marketing & Services, All Nippon Airways & CEO, ANA Cargo.

“Nippon Cargo Airlines leverages extensive experience in dedicated freighter operations and a strong presence in the Japan-Europe cargo market as we join forces with our partners. We are fully committed to complementing the networks, aiming to provide customers with expanded capacity and flexible routing solutions,” said Hiroyuki Homma, President & Chief Executive Officer, Nippon Cargo Airlines.