With the transformation of world trade patterns, digitization accelerates and sustainability pressures, airlines reassess their strategies to survive competitive.
But in an increasing competitive environment, can European transport companies keep pace with the rise of Middle Eastern and Asian charging centers?
The global demand for air freight has been in a state of flow since the epidemic, as new commercial corridors and geopolitical doubts emerge that reshape the supply chains. While Asia’s roads to the euroge are still dominant power, new markets such as India and Vietnam are growing quickly, and they require airlines to adapt their networks.
“Trade has become more diverse, and air air markets are evolving,” said Lufthansza.
“We see strong growth in Southeast Asia, and to remain competitive European charging centers, which must ensure that they are in a good position to deal with these transformations efficiently.”
This diversification is reflected in increasing the capacity of Lufthansa by 29 percent to Asia during the last peak season, with the addition of new stations in the Shenzhen and Changzhou to support the e -commerce boom. However, the question remains – will Europe continue to drive global air cargo, or is it at risk of losing its stronghold?
E -commerce revolution
One of the most important transformations in recent years was the high atmospheric charging by e -commerce. The need for rapid delivery times has increased the demand for the customized shipping capacity, especially from Asia.
Airlines should adapt to the rapid nature of e -commerce logistics, ensuring long -term capacity obligations and flexible charter options. However, with the return of passengers to the full capacity, the balance between charging and abdominal goods remains an accurate challenge.
“We are witnessing an increase in the demand for long -term capacity obligations, especially from e -commerce agents,” added Lufthansa Carko representative.
“Setting our charging network accordingly is necessary to maintain efficiency.”
While dedicated shipping companies provide greater control of charging, the abdomen’s ability is still a decisive part of European carriers.
However, the industry faces pressure to the return, as Lufthansa’s shipments reported only 3 percent in the yield of the goods in 2024, a sign that peak shipping rates after birth have now settled.
Artificial intelligence and automation
European goods centers have long been criticized due to lack of efficiency, especially in times of dealing with operational bottlenecks, dealing with this by adopting automation and AI, and placing themselves at the forefront of digital transformation in air cargo.
An experimental project that was launched in the fall of 2024 witnessed independent pulling vehicles (AGVS) that was presented in Frankfurt, where the shipping between the buildings was transferred without human intervention. Meanwhile, the automation that artificial intelligence driven underestimated the response times in the customer service centers in Lufthansa, with dealing with 40 percent of the inquiries automatically.
“Automation and AI is not only about efficiency – it is related to flexibility.”
“Since the industry faces an increasing shortage of skills, digitization will play a major role in ensuring smooth processes and reducing delay.”
In addition, Lufthansa Cargo supporting the IATA One Record initiative, which aims to create a unified framework and share data for air charging. If they are fully implemented, such initiatives can revolutionize and track goods, which eliminates incompetence caused by fragmented data systems.
Despite digitization and network expansion, the greatest challenge of European cargo tankers is still sustainability. With waving on the horizon on the goals of Net-Zero, airlines are increasingly pressure to reduce emissions and invest in cleaner technologies.
Lufthansa Cargo has committed to the net emissions of the half of the carbon dioxide by 2030 and the achievement of full carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) remains limited due to the high costs and its restricted availability.
“Our biggest potential to provide carbon dioxide lies in the air,” she said.
“Sustainable aviation fuel and fleet modernization are very important, but the fact is that the industry needs wider cooperation to make SAF to be developed and commercially applicable.”
XThe Airline has already transported the entire shipping fleet to Boeing 777FS, the most efficient fuel consumption plane in its class. It also has seven Boeing 777-8 shipping companies in the system, which promises more emissions. However, since SAF is still a small part of the total fuel use of flying, sustainability remains one of the largest obstacles in the air freight industry in Europe.
Investing in the future
While European shipping centers face increasing competition from the Middle East and Asia, investment in infrastructure modernization is seen as a major discrimination.
Lufthansa Cargo 600 million euros invested to update its Frankfurt Center through the LCCEVO project, which aims to enhance efficiency, reduce handling times, and expand digital capabilities. The Lufthansa Cargo Center, which is 330,000 square meters, will undergo minimal reducing disorder while enhancing operational capabilities.
“In times of global tensions and changing customer requirements, we need innovative solutions that make our services faster, smoother and more competitive.”
