Lufthansa Cargo

Lufthansa Cargo has outlined plans to build a modern logistics centre at Frankfurt Airport in Germany, after the group's supervisory board approved investment in the necessary infrastructure.

The newbuild will replace the existing 30-year-old Lufthansa Cargo Centre, and is due to launch in 2018, the group said.

'We are investing in the future and in our Frankfurt base,' said Lufthansa chairman and CEO Dr Christoph Franz, who explained that Frankfurt would remain the central hub for the company despite the existing night-flight ban.

The centre will be built mainly on the existing cargo centre site, with state-of-the-art technological infrastructure guaranteeing faster shipment turnaround times and improved service quality.

'The 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 building is scheduled to begin in 2014, while some processes will be moved to other areas, with the entire project costing 'mid triple-digit million euros'.