Lufthansa Cargo eyes enlarged India presence

New Delhi: Lufthansa Cargo is looking forward to tap India's booming market for airfreight services and is planning to increase its presence in the country. It says that it is in discussions with various Indian airlines, including Jet Airways, to explore potential partnerships.

"Lufthansa Cargo believes India is a key market for the airfreight industry, with huge growth potential," said Martin Schlingensiepen, Lufthansa Cargo, vice president, Asia Pacific. "We have therefore started negotiating with different airlines to build up a cooperation in the air cargo business," he added.

However, with tax and legal restrictions acting as a restraint, Lufthansa Cargo may utilise Jet Airways' passenger planes to carry cargo between India and Europe.

"We face huge challenges in India with its infrastructural bottleneck," said Schlingensiepen. "We also continue to face tax and legal constraints. However, we still want to be a significant player in India's booming aviation sector and economical growth."

Lufthansa Cargo is also considering an entry into cargo terminal operations and ground-handling services in India. "The tonnage capacity is increasing consistently.

We're looking at cargo ground handling at six metro and 30 non-metro city airports," said Schlingensiepen.

'There is also much scope for transporting perishables and refrigerated goods by air from smaller towns, especially with more airport capacity coming up in second-tier cities.'