German Cargo
| German Cargo | |
|---|---|
|
|
| IATA code : | FX |
| ICAO code : | GEC |
| Call sign : | GERMAN CARGO |
| Founding: | 1977 |
| Operation stopped: | 1993 |
| Seat: |
Kelsterbach , Germany
|
| Home airport : | airport Frankfurt |
| Company form: | GmbH |
| Fleet size: | 10 |
| Aims: | international |
| German Cargo ceased operations in 1993. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation. | |
The German Cargo Services GmbH , Brand-name German Cargo , was a German cargo charter airline and 100 percent subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG .
history
In the 1970s, Lufthansa was only able to participate in the rising freight business to a limited extent due to the IATA restrictions still in force at the time . Competitors such as B. the Cargolux , did not belong to the IATA. For this reason Lufthansa spun off part of its freight business, namely full and part charter, into a subsidiary in 1977 and founded German Cargo Services GmbH for this purpose. In April 1977 this took up flight operations with a Boeing 707 . In the following years the fleet grew to four 707. These were successively replaced by five Douglas DC-8-73 . For 13 years, the DC-8 formed the backbone of German Cargo.
In addition to classic full charter flights, German Cargo flew numerous routes in scheduled traffic, especially to East Africa and the Middle East. Some of them transported high-quality cargoes, e. B. Charter with satellites, TV transmission technology, live animals (including even a project with 1.3 billion fly larvae for the FAO from Mexico to Libya ).
The planes D-ADUO and D-ADUC were partly used for worldwide horse transports. For this purpose, a so-called “horse kit” was installed in the rear part of the cabin. The horse attendants could stay there. In addition to a stowage space for catering, this horse kit also offered a passenger area. For example, a customer regularly ordered DC-8 flights to transport polo horses from Argentina to Southeast Asia.
The D-ADUC was also used as a normal passenger aircraft for the Condor at times . For this purpose, the aircraft could be equipped with the appropriate cabin, which offered space for around 250 passengers. These assignments took place in the summer period, which is weak for the freight business. Due to the lack of passenger acceptance and the relatively poor technical reliability, however, these missions were terminated after two flight plan periods.
From 1990 the airline also started using Boeing 747s . Two Boeing 737s were also added. In 1993, German Cargo Services was renamed Lufthansa Cargo Airlines and took over the operation of all Lufthansa freighters. Today, German Cargo Services, which later became Lufthansa Cargo Airlines GmbH, still lives in Lufthansa Cargo AG and Lufthansa Cargo Charter Agency GmbH, which markets the Group's own aircraft and those of other operators worldwide for charter operations.
However, old roots still exist today: the so-called document prefix (the number that identifies the company on the Airwaybill) is the old 020 from German Cargo (Lufthansa had 220); The initially newly founded Lufthansa Cargo AG had to take over the corporate shell of German Cargo Services GmbH in order to avoid the lengthy approval procedures required for aviation operations. The German Cargo ICAO abbreviation GEC is still used by Lufthansa Cargo today. The German Cargo callsign is used today by the German cargo airline Aerologic , a joint venture between DHL and Lufthansa Cargo.
The D-ADUE was the last DC-8-73 of the former German Cargo to leave the Lufthansa Group in mid-1997. The D-ADUE was the only aircraft that was also used in full Lufthansa Cargo colors. Four of the five DC-8-73 were sold to Aerolease International .
fleet
Fleet at the end of operations
- 5 Douglas DC-8-73 (D-ADUA, D-ADUC, D-ADUE, D-ADUI, D-ADUO)
Previously deployed aircraft
The following aircraft were also used previously:
- 4 Boeing 707-330C (D-ABUA, D-ABUE, D-ABUI, D-ABUO)
- 3 737 -200 (D-ABGE, D-ABHE, TF-ABT)
- 3 Boeing 747-200B (D-ABYT, D-ABYW, D-ABYY)
See also
Web links
- German Cargo on Planespotters.net
- Frank Ketteler: Information about the DC-8 and German Cargo. In: dc-8.de. Retrieved October 24, 2010 .
- Pictures of the German Cargo Boeing 737-200C "TF-ABF" (Wet-Lease). (JPEG) In: airliners.net . Retrieved October 24, 2010 .
- German Cargo Marketing Department: Industry film about German Cargo from 1992, 8 MIn. German Cargo Services GmbH, accessed on June 4, 2011 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pictures of the Douglas DC-8 fleet of German Cargo. (JPEG) In: airliners.net . Retrieved October 24, 2010 .
- ^ German Cargo Fleet Overview. rzjets.net, accessed on October 24, 2010 (English, with the “curriculum vitae” of each individual aircraft).
- ↑ Pictures of the Boeing 707 fleet of German Cargo. (JPEG) In: airliners.net . Retrieved October 24, 2010 .
- ↑ Pictures of the Boeing 737 fleet of German Cargo. (JPEG) In: airliners.net. Retrieved October 24, 2010 .
- ↑ Pictures of the Boeing 747 fleet of German Cargo. (JPEG) In: airliners.net. Retrieved October 24, 2010 .
