Lufthansa Cargo is to launch a new cargo route with B777Fs from Brussels International Airport (BRU) to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on April 3, 2024.

This is the first time the carrier has connected Belgium directly to the American continent with a cargo aircraft.

The flight connection will take place twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Ashwin Bhat, chief executive of Lufthansa Cargo, said: “We are looking forward to our customers being able to book on this new route with immediate effect.

“Brussels Airport is an important hub for the pharmaceutical business in particular.

“With our new connection, we can now offer an even more attractive network, and in particular a direct connection for particularly time-critical freight, which now includes up to 34 freighter connections from Europe to North America.”

Brussels Airport is known as the preferred European pharma gateway and the airport has the largest surface of pharma warehouses in Europe.

Brussels Airport’s cargo community is specialised in the handling of time and temperature-sensitive goods, their stakeholders were the first worldwide to receive the CEIV Pharma certification.

With a closed cold chain from warehouse to aircraft, thanks to the innovative Airside Pharma Transporters, the transport of pharmaceuticals is one of the key segments for the airport’s cargo department, making use of digitisation for a transparent and swift process.

Arnaud Feist, chief executive of Brussels Airport, said: “We are happy to be welcoming Lufthansa Cargo in our airport community and to support their cargo operations to and from Brussels Airport.

“With our shared focus on the reliable and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals and a shared ambition in terms of sustainability, as they are pioneering technologies such as sharkskin technology and invest in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, they are an important asset to our cargo network.”

As a result, the carrier’s global B777F network will comprise 82 weekly connections to the world at the start of the summer flight schedule (March, 31 2024) – including 34 connections per week from Europe to North America and four connections to South America, 42 direct connections from Europe to Asia and two freighter flights per week from Europe to the Middle East and Africa.

The A321F fleet also complements the short- and medium-haul network with up to 18 destinations.

Including the belly capacities of Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Discover Airlines and SunExpress, Lufthansa Cargo can offer its customers a worldwide network with up to 7,000 flights per week.

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