Lufthansa Cargo has announced it will permanently move all Boeing 777 freighter flights that previously served Mexico City International Airport (MEX) to the new Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU). This move will occur on July 7, 2023, as Lufthansa Cargo joins other freighter carriers relocating their operations to the new secondary hub outside Mexico City.
Moving to a new airport
On Friday, Lufthansa Cargo announced the permanent relocation of all-cargo flights (operated with Boeing 777 aircraft) to the Felipe Ángeles International Airport. By doing this, “Lufthansa Cargo is following the requirements of a decree issued by the Mexican government, which prohibits airlines from flying freighters to Mexico City Airport in the future for capacity reasons.”
Lufthansa Cargo is offering six freighter connections with Boeing 777F aircraft to and from Mexico City’s second major airport, Felipe Ángeles (NLU), in the 2023 summer flight schedule. The freighters depart from the hub in Frankfurt (FRA) on Tuesdays to Sundays at midday and reach their destination at Felipe Ángeles Airport (NLU) in the early night hours.
There still will be some Lufthansa cargo operations at MEX
Despite Lufthansa Cargo moving all its operations to NLU next month, some cargo operations will remain at Mexico City International. That’s because, in addition to the freighter connections, Lufthansa Airlines passenger aircraft regularly transport goods as belly cargo to Mexico City.
The carrier operates seven weekly direct flights from Frankfurt with the Boeing 747-8 and three weekly Airbus A350 connections from Munich. To ensure that the transfer time of cargo shipments between the two airports is fast and efficient, Lufthansa Cargo will employ truck shuttle services, it said in a statement.
Frank Nozinsky, Director of Sales & Handling, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Central America, and the Caribbean at Lufthansa Cargo said, “As part of the necessary relocation of freighter flights to Mexico City’s northeastern airport, we have successfully established both the import and export processes on-site to our usual high standards in a very short time, as well as set up a fast and reliable nighttime truck transport service for freight shipments between NLU and MEX.”
Felipe Ángeles cargo operations
According to data from the country’s government, this new airport is looking to become one of Mexico’s most important hubs for cargo operations. Between January and February 2023, NLU was responsible for only 1.0% of the tons handled nationwide (although in April alone, it was responsible for 2.1% of all cargo handled in the country).
As more airlines move their freighter operations to the Felipe Ángeles, the airport is set to continue increasing its importance. At the same time, as cargo operations decrease from Mexico City, market shares will be redistributed. Mexico City currently accounts for 51.1% of all tons carried in the country (thanks mainly to its strong position as an international gateway; it receives 64.6% of all international cargo versus 22.8% of all domestic cargo).
