Lufthansa Cargo said it has set up a company to provide freight handling services for itself as well as for airfreight forwarders. The new Handling Counts GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Cargo, will begin operating initially at the Frankfurt base but intends to extend its activities later across the whole of Germany.

"We have founded this company in consultation with our collective bargaining partners’ and, in the physical cargo handling area, we will be absolutely competitive in respect of both costs and efficiency," said Karl-Heinz Köpfle, board member operations Lufthansa Cargo AG.

With a workforce of up to 100 staff initially, Handling Counts GmbH is to provide services for Lufthansa Cargo AG, while additionally seeking to exploit market opportunities that come on stream at Frankfurt Airport. Lufthansa Cargo said that the new company will in future participate in competitive bidding for handling services put out to tender by airfreight forwarders and airlines.

The new company will for the time being be based on the Lufthansa Cargo complex in CargoCity North, but plans in the medium term to move to CargoCity South.