(Exclusive)—Driven by the Hesse State court’s recent decision to forbid night flights at Frankfurt as of October 30th, Lufthansa Cargo has adjusted their flight schedules.
     This became necessary since the carrier operates an average of eleven night flights, which are directly affected and need alternative solutions to continue service.
     Details will be revealed at a press meeting in Berlin on Thursday; however, FlyingTypers can deliver the main results:
     Tianjin flights will be cancelled altogether.
     “With very little time given to adjust our schedules, we were not able to find a suitable solution,” regrets Michael Goentgens (right) of LH Cargo.
     Further, the Beijing and Guangzhou freighter flights will be routed via Cologne. “In Frankfurt, we’ll completely load the aircraft with shipments bound to China.
     “Late evening they will depart to Cologne for a technical stop of between four and five hours, before taking off for the Far East,” Michael said.
     In addition, LH Cargo indicated the eventual basing of one of their freight planes beginning next January at Cologne/Bonn airport.
     “After the sudden and unexpected situation in Frankfurt, we certainly will help Lufthansa in performing their operations,” stated Managing Director Michael Garvens (left) of CGN, when approached by FlyingTypers.
     A Chicago flight also affected, will be operated out of Leipzig/Halle airport instead of Frankfurt.
    Analyst Dirk Steiger (right) of Frankfurt-based Aviainform GmbH said, “Consequently, the vast majority of shipments will have to be trucked from Rhein-Main, where they are consolidated to Leipzig/Halle.
     “This will lead to further congestion on the German Autobahns and negatively influence the nation’s ambitious footprint on greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. The point emphasizes the ecological consequences the judges’ ruling will cause.
     Asked about the financial impact, with cancellations and the reorganization of Lufthansa Cargo’s freighter fleet, Steiger estimates total costs amounting to approximately €30 to 50 million euros.
     LH Cargo’s Goentgens spoke of the “substantial financial loss” his carrier will suffer due to the curfew imposed by the court.
     Despite the anticapated additional financial burden and the contingency flight plan his airline came up with, he assured customers of the operational reliability of Lufthansa Cargo.
     “We are convinced that under these difficult circumstances, we can offer you the best possible connections to the 300 destinations we globally serve,” Michael concludes.
Heiner Siegmund /Flossie

     China Southern and Airbus have chosen Chateauroux Airport France to train and certify the pilots of the first A380 delivered to CHINA, said airport spokesman Martin Fraissignes (inset).
     “After several ‘touch and go’ efforts with the support of instructors, pilots went back to Toulouse and then took off non-stop destination for PRC,” Fraissignes said.
     “The move confirms the capabilities of Chateauroux Airport, which is dedicated to cargo, pilot training and aircraft maintenance,” Martin added.

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