Lufthansa Cargo, SWISS WorldCargo, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore opportunities for enhanced cooperation in the air cargo market between Japan and Europe.
Under the agreement, the four carriers will assess potential collaboration in areas including improved network connectivity, additional routing and capacity options, and greater flexibility and service choices for customers shipping cargo between the two regions.
The MoU builds on the long-standing partnership between Lufthansa Cargo and ANA. The two airlines established a cargo joint venture in 2014 covering the Japan-Europe market, but the cooperation was suspended in September 2023 following restructuring of ANA Holdings’ cargo business. ANA Holdings also owns Nippon Cargo Airlines.
Building on their previous collaboration, Lufthansa Cargo and ANA now aim to explore the potential resumption of their cargo joint venture, with the proposed expanded cooperation bringing SWISS WorldCargo and Nippon Cargo Airlines into the partnership.
The four airlines said the collaboration could combine their respective network strengths, operational expertise and cargo capabilities to provide customers with expanded capacity, more routing options and improved service flexibility.
Lufthansa Cargo CEO Ashwin Bhat said Japan remains an important market for the company and that the renewed dialogue with ANA, alongside SWISS WorldCargo and Nippon Cargo Airlines, would help explore opportunities to create greater value for customers.
The proposed cooperation is expected to strengthen air cargo connectivity between Europe and Japan, particularly for time-critical and specialised shipments, while offering customers a broader range of transport solutions.