Lufthansa Cargo’s 10 March “newsticker” reveals several developments with direct relevance to Austrian shippers and forwarders. The carrier – which markets belly space on Austrian Airlines passenger flights and operates daily trucking links through Vienna – confirmed an expanded Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) framework with CEVA Logistics that will add 7 000 t of CO₂ savings in 2026. The agreement builds on last year’s pilot allocations ex-Vienna, signalling that the Austrian gateway will remain central to the group’s decarbonisation roadmap. Forwarders using the airport’s Pharma-Handling Centre will be able to purchase SAF certificates under the revised contract, allowing them to pass Scope-3 reductions to life-science clients. Separately, Lufthansa Cargo notes that its driverless tow-tractor project at Frankfurt has moved into 24/7 line operations. Although the robotics deployment is in Germany, the group plans to roll out similar autonomous equipment at Vienna by 2027 – a timeline that ground-handling agents should start planning for in terms of airside layout and collective-bargaining clauses. The bulletin also underscores Vienna’s role in the freighter network: of the carrier’s five cargo hubs, only Frankfurt handles more than the Austrian capital’s 350 daily destinations. With Austrian export volumes expected to rise 4 % this year, reliability of that hub-and-spoke trucking model will be critical for just-in-time manufacturers. Finally, the airline’s animal-logistics unit showcased a Buenos Aires-to-Sofia bear transport as proof of network flexibility – a compelling case study for Austrian zoos and research institutes that require specialist live-animal movements via Vienna.
Source: Lufthansa Cargo pressroom
