Lufthansa Cargo to take delivery of first 777F in fall of 2013

Lufthansa Cargo (LHC) will take delivery of the first of five GE 90-powered Boeing 777 freighters in the fall of 2013, followed by two in 2014 and two in 2015.

LHC will decide if it will convert the five options over the next several weeks. “To have [aircraft] options gives us flexibility,” LHC executive board member-operations Karl-Rudolf Rupprecht told ATW in Frankfurt. It is unclear if LHC will use the 777s for fleet expansion or replacement of its 19 MD-11 aircraft.

LHC and its AeroLogic joint venture [with DHL Express] operate eight 777Fs. “The 777F saves 17% fuel compared to an MD-11. If we operate 19 777s, the fleet needs the same amount of fuel for 11 months compared to 19 MD-11Fs in 12 months,” Rupprecht said.

The Lufthansa Group uses 10 million tons of Jet A1 kerosene annually. LHC said it has reduced fuel burn by 4% since 2005, or 1.9 tons per flight.

LHC is targeting a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and a 50% reduction in net CO2 emissions by 2050.

(Kurt Hofmann - ATWOnline News)