Lufthansa test-drives lighter containers to cut transport costs

Addressing the need to reduce costs in the airfreight industry, Lufthansa Cargo and Jettainer have initiated a pilot scheme to test the impact of lightweight containers on transport costs. The trial of the new containers will provide information about their weight advantages and shed light on the behaviour of containers made of composite materials compared with their conventional aluminium counterparts. A total of 1 000 containers from four manufacturers will be used in the trial. Jettainer’s managing director Alexander Plümacher believes the use of lightweight containers could deliver annual fuel savings in the upper double-digit million range. He anticipates that the trial will provide forward-looking information on the potential for tangible savings in fuel costs and CO2 emissions. “Every kilogram less of weight on our aircraft saves kerosene – and so also lowers our costs,” said Karl-Heinz Köpfle, Lufthansa Cargo board member operations. A conventional LD-3 airfreight container made of aluminium weighs about 80 kg. The new containers made of composite materials are about 15% lighter. The pilot scheme will run until autumn 2009.