Lufthansa Group’s decision making board has approved the operation of two brand-new Boeing 777 Freighters by Lufthansa Cargo.

The aircraft were ordered in May this year, but it was not decided who would manage and operate the aircraft, which are expected to be ferried from the Boeing plant in Seattle to Lufthansa’s base in Frankfurt in February and March 2019.

Lufthansa Cargo chief executive officer and chairman of the executive board, Peter Gerber says: “We are thrilled to soon be welcoming two brand-new freighters to our Triple Seven fleet. This major investment in the future of Lufthansa Cargo has been made possible by last year’s outstanding results.

“This is a fitting reward for the tremendous efforts of all Lufthansa Cargo employees and emphasises that we have taken the right course at an early stage.”

The new 777s are expected to replace MD-11s in the long term, but Lufthansa Cargo will continue to operate MD-11s earmarked for retirement for the time being to provide customers with more capacity as needed.

Gerber adds: “This allows us to fully participate in the market growth but respond flexibly to signs of change. Accordingly, we will decide on when to phase out individual MD-11Fs based on the market situation. Our strategic goal remains to operate a solely B777F fleet going forward.”