You don’t have to look too far to figure out why Lufthansa Cargo is consistently on top as the number one combination cargo carrier in North America.
     Lufthansa Cargo has enjoyed a long history of firsts, marked by over six decades of a pioneering culture that has been developed, widened, and advanced over the years.
     Lufthansa flew the first B747F nose loader and today fields a fleet of 19 freighters.
     Lufthansa developed the first automated cargo terminals with a plug-in dock for the B747F.
     The list of firsts (many of which became industry standards) that have come out of the airport near the Main River in Germany is endless.
     There have also been some great cargo people who have served as Lufthansa Cargo Vice President the Americas, including Walter Lieblein in the 1970s and Klaus Holler until 2012. That tradition continues with Achim Martinka.

In 1975 Helmutt F. Klumpp (above left) was Lufthansa systemwide manager for cargo. What Mr. Klumpp did was to convince the airline’s hierarchy to purchase the first B747 freighter in 1970. Cargo revenue contribution to the airline was put at 21.4 percent. Walter Lieblein (above right) was cargo manager for North and Central America at Lufthansa when the airline introduced the world’s first 747 freighter on the Frankfurt-New York run April 1972, connecting the two cities with advanced automated handling terminals. (JFK pictured here). In October 1975 he told Air Cargo News FlyingTypers: “What we learned from the beginning was that ground handling makes all the difference. It’s the first and the last hundred feet, the distance between the airplane and the terminal docks where our service really comes into play.”

     At a press conference in Manhattan on Thursday, May 28, somebody asked Lufthansa Cargo Vice President The Americas Achim Martinka about the new cargo center for Frankfurt (which was put on ice earlier this year) and he was unfazed and self confident, responding:
     “We have added five new efficient B777 freighters to our fleet and are making rapid advances in our next generation IT program, both of which are huge investments, so we have accomplished two out of three initiatives (the third being the planned new facility) that will result in direct benefits for our customers.
     “Of course, we would like to build the next generation cargo handling facility for Frankfurt but will need to revisit that option to see if it makes sense in two years.
     “In the meantime our customers will be well served as we upgrade the present facility and we prefer not to complain like a child that did not get all he or she wished for at Christmas!”
     We like Achim in America.
     Our bet is his colleagues and customers like this smiling, easygoing, very smart and engaging air cargo executive as well.
     Achim tells it like it is.
     He is also, as some New Yorkers might say, “Too cool for school."
     “We are not just Germany anymore.
     “We play in The UK,” Achim smiles.
     "Lufthansa Cargo also serves two other countries in Europe, which we connect directly with the U.S. via our freighters, including Manchester in UK from Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago, and to Stavanger, Norway, from IAH for our oil and gas customers.
     “Beginning in June our newest Americas freighter destination is Natal, a city in Brazil that fits in perfectly, lining up with Frankfurt via Viracopos once weekly,” Achim said.
     "Our program for 'Lean Logistics' here in the Americas is examining many of the small (and large) details to make our cargo offering as green as it can be as we all must go a bit further to protect and defend the environment,” Achim said.
Geoffrey/Flossie