Lufthansa Cargo welcome its ninth Boeing 777F for the first time at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) on 29 September, a press release confirmed, less than a month after the cargo carrier summoned its eighth Triple Seven freighter.

With registration D-ALFI, the freighter was in flight as LH8145 for 10 hours and 10 minutes after take-off from Everett Airport (PAE) in Washington State. 

The new aircraft bears the name “¡Buenos días México!”, which it took over from an aircraft with the registration D-ALCH that had already been taken out of service. 

Lufthansa Cargo now operates nine modern Triple Seven at its home hub in Frankfurt. In addition, the company is marketing the cargo capacity of four more aircraft of this type, operated by the AeroLogic joint venture based at Leipzig Airport.

 “Especially in acute crises, air cargo secures important supply routes and thus makes a fundamental contribution to the global economy. Mastering short-term global challenges is one of our core competencies, countering long-term global challenges is our responsibility. With our new fleet we are underlining our claim to actively and sustainably combine economic and ecological efficiency,” said Peter Gerber, CEO and chairman of the executive board of Lufthansa Cargo. 

The twin-engine Boeing 777F is around 20 percent more efficient and emits less carbon dioxide than the previous MD-11F. 

The new model also meets the strict noise protection requirements of ICAO. 

Due to the higher cargo capacity and range, the same freight performance can be achieved in the future with noticeably fewer aircraft movements, the airline noted.

Six MD-11 freighters yet in service will be phased out over the coming months, the cargo carrier added, with the first half to be phased out within this year. 

Lufthansa Cargo first put the eye-catching MD-11F tri-jet into service in 1998 because of its efficiency. It replaced the four-engine jumbo freighters until 2005.