Lufthansa to invest millions in building new Frankfurt cargo centre

GERMAN flag carrier Lufthansa has announced plans to build a modern logistics centre at Frankfurt Airport, after the group' s supervisory board approved the investment needed to develop the infrastructure of its cargo business.

The new building will replace the existing 30-year-old Lufthansa Cargo Centre, and is to open in 2018. The company said it is "investing a mid triple-digit million euro sum" in the new logistics facility.

"We are investing in the future and in our Frankfurt base," said group CEO and chairman Christoph Franz. Frankfurt would remain the central hub for the group's cargo business "despite the night-flight ban".

The carrier said in a statement: "The night-flight ban meant considerably adjusting the original plans. In view of the competitive disadvantages compared with other locations, it was therefore all the more important to have access to a reliable and efficient infrastructure."

The new logistics centre will be built mainly on the existing site in the northern part of Frankfurt Airport. State-of-the-art technological infrastructure will facilitate much faster turnaround times for shipments and is expected to "dramatically improve" the quality of service for customers.

"Building of a new logistics centre is a major component of our 'Lufthansa Cargo 2020' strategy," said Lufthansa Cargo CEO and chairman Karl Ulrich Garnadt. "The new facility will enable us to take a quantum leap in the logistics process and will make the company fit for the challenges of the future."

Construction of the main building is scheduled to begin in 2014. Since the air cargo terminal will be built on the existing site, the area will have to be cleared and prepared over the coming months. Some processes will be relocated to other areas. Operations will, however, continue while construction is in progress.