Lufthansa Cargo (LH, Frankfurt International) is considering setting up partnerships with other carriers should its planned joint-venture with ANA - All Nippon Airways (NH, Tokyo Haneda), set to come into effect in December, be successful.
CEO Peter Gerber told CargoForwarder magazine in an interview that the ANA partnership would act as a blue-print for future ventures adding that a second one will likely be announced next year.
While he did not disclose who the partner would be exactly, it is speculated that United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) would be a suitable choice given that the U.S. carrier fulfills the Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International) subsidiary's requirements namely that its domestic market share is "substantial" in size, it operates an intercontinental network with strong focus on cargo, and its IT infrastructure is compatible with that of Lufthansa Cargo and ANA.
Lufthansa Cargo and ANA - All Nippon will kick off their partnership in December in a two-phased approach. The first phase entails the sharing of cargo capacity, aligned price offers and joint sales initiatives on all passenger or cargo flights operated by both ANA and Lufthansa on routes from east to west. During the second phase, set to come into effect during the second quarter of next year, the project will then encompass flights operating from west to east.
