Lufthansa Cargo adds seafood A321F service with Norway freighter

Lufthansa Cargo has added a new A321 freighter service between Evenes Airport in Norway and Frankfurt as it looks to target the country’s seafood market.

The Germany-based carrier said the weekly service would help cut delivery times of seafood in northern Norway in some cases from six days to less than 24 hours with the perishable product being flown to destinations that connect with the airline’s Frankfurt hub.

Fast transit is important for seafood as it requires compliance with the highest quality standards.

The flights started in early November and have been launched in partnership with Norwegian salmon producer and exporter Nordlaks and freight forwarder Salmosped.

Evenes Airport is located near the city of Harstad/Narvik and is part of the province of Troms og Finnmark in Norway.

“Located north of the Arctic Circle, this region is considered the gateway to the Lofoten Islands, making it a very important market for fish and seafood,” Lufthansa said.

“The area around Evenes Airport is home to a number of salmon producers. Both the catch of wild salmon and the income from salmon farming are growing steadily. In 2021 alone, more than 1m tons of salmon were exported from Norway.”

Eirik Nikolaisen, chief commercial officer Nordlaks, added: “Efficient logistics is key. Customers in Asia expect to receive fresh products of high quality.

“We are very satisfied that we can develop new and innovative solutions together with partners like Lufthansa Cargo and Salmosped to serve our customers.”

Ashwin Bhat, chief commercial officer at Lufthansa Cargo, said: “Thanks to the flexibility of the A321 freighter, we are able to build a customized supply chain solution for individual customers. We are not only helping to ensure that fish and seafood from Norway reach their destinations around the world even faster, but also in the best and freshest quality.”

Lufthansa Cargo recently reduced its sales regions from seven to five areas following record results in the third quarter of this year.