New time-definite
service rings the change
THE NEW time definite (td) air cargo service launched by Lufthansa Cargo in April is now the preferred system for over a quarter of the carrier's cargo volume.
Within two months of the launch of the new service 52 of the key main line stations were offering td movement. This represented td-availability for 45% of the total freight volume carried by Lufthansa Cargo (measured at 1.76 million tons a year) - with 60% of that 45% portion going td within 100 days of the launch.
According to figures released to FTW in Frankfurt recently the cargo carrier expects 105 of its 405 stations world-wide to be offering td by November (including SA) - representing 60% of its total volume.
By April 1 next year the totals are planned to be 160 stations and 85% of total volumes. By the beginning of July this will be 205 stations and 98% of the cargo carried.
The new service, said executive board member Stefan Lauer, heralds a new dimension in air cargo.
It enables our business partners to introduce greater planning precision in their entire logistics chain, he told FTW, and integrate air transport into just-in-time production operations.
Questioned on the similarity between the td service and the product offered by the integrated air carriers, Lauer acknowledged that the comparison was valid.
Lufthansa Cargo's td services constitute an important step in our migration from an air transport company to a provider of integrated logistics services, he said.
