Lufthansa Cargo improved its financial performance during the first half of 2026, supported by higher demand and expanded cargo capacity.
Revenue increased by 16% to €1.92 billion from €1.65 billion in the same period last year.
Adjusted EBIT rose by 47% to €199 million, compared with €135 million during the first half of 2025.
The Adjusted EBIT margin improved to 10.4% from 8.2%, representing an increase of 2.2 percentage points.
Available cargo capacity increased by 5% to 7.21 billion freight tonne-kilometres.
The expansion was mainly driven by additional belly capacity. This included the marketing of cargo space aboard ITA Airways flights.
Traffic volume also increased by 5% to 4.6 billion freight tonne-kilometres.
The average cargo load factor improved slightly to 63.8%, up 0.2 percentage points from the same period last year.
“Alongside sustained strong market demand and continued robust business performance in Asia, we have continued our BOLD MOVES growth strategy,” said Gregor Schleussner, CFO and CHRO of Lufthansa Cargo.
Schleussner said the air freight market remained affected by geopolitical uncertainty, rising costs, changing customer expectations and growing competitive pressure.
Lufthansa Cargo launched its BOLD MOVES strategy at the end of 2023.
The programme aims to return the company to the world’s three largest cargo airlines by 2030, measured by freight tonne-kilometres.
The strategy focuses on improving efficiency, expanding services and increasing the company’s ability to respond to changing market conditions.
Lufthansa Cargo completed the ALPHA construction phase of its LCCevo infrastructure project at the end of June.
The company described ALPHA as the first and most important stage in the transformation of its Frankfurt cargo hub.
LCCevo aims to develop the Lufthansa Cargo Center into what the company expects to be Europe’s most modern air cargo hub by 2030.
The project involves an investment of approximately €600 million.
Planned infrastructure includes automated material handling and conveyor systems, a fully automated high-bay warehouse and dedicated storage facilities for temperature-sensitive cargo.
Lufthansa Cargo expects the development to increase handling capacity and improve operational efficiency at its main hub.
During the second quarter, Lufthansa Cargo combined the operations of heyworld and CB Customs Broker under a newly established company called GlobeCross.
The business brings together digital e-commerce logistics services and customs expertise.
Its services include digital customs processing, e-commerce import terminals at major air cargo hubs and integrated solutions covering transportation, customs clearance and final delivery.
GlobeCross expands Lufthansa Cargo’s activities beyond its traditional airport-to-airport model.
The company expects the new platform to strengthen its position in the cross-border parcel logistics market and create further growth opportunities.
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