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Lufthansa Cargo joins Navi Mumbai as operators talk of airport challenges

Lufthansa Cargo has joined the growing number of airlines that have officially started operations at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), even as talk of operational challenges at the new hub have emerged. The cargo arm of Lufthansa said in a LinkedIn post on 14 October that it had moved its freighter operations to NMIA as Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) focuses on expansion work to increase capacity and efficiency. "Our first Boeing 777F freighter has successfully arrived at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) on Monday, marking the start of our dedicated freighter operations at the region's newest airport," said Lufthansa Cargo. The business continues to handle belly capacity at CSMIA, as passenger flights are routed through the airport. "India is one of the strategically important growth markets for Lufthansa Cargo. By connecting Navi Mumbai, we are ensuring that our customers will continue to benefit from a high-performance infrastructure, reliable capacity, and seamless integration into our global network," commented Anand Kulkarni, head of global markets. CSMIA announced in January that it planned to suspend freighter operations for 10 months in order to carry out upgrades to cargo infrastructure. Freighter operators were asked to temporarily move their flights from CSMIA to NMIA while the work is carried out. This is expected to take 10 months and was due to start in August. NMIA opened its doors back in December, but freighter operations did not get underway until 1 August, when an IndiGo freighter took off from the airport. Silk Way West, Cathay Cargo, Hong Kong Air Cargo have all confirmed the shift of their freighter operations to the new airport. However, despite the growing number of freighter operations, some carriers have reported major challenges. Challenge Group recently suspended its freighter flights to NMIA. The carrier stated that the current operational setup "does not yet enable us to deliver our cargo services with the level of reliability and certainty we require". "While the circumstances leading to this situation are outside our control, the decision to suspend our service is a deliberate one," it added. Emirates has also reportedly expressed concerns. The Telegraph India reported that Emirates has said NMIA is "not ready" for international operations, including cargo warehousing operations, and it planned to retain operations at CSMIA.

Portugal selects Lufthansa's bid for TAP stake

The Portuguese government has selected Lufthansa's bid for a stake in TAP Air Portugal ahead of the Air France-KLM Group. The government said it had selected Lufthansa's bid for a minority stake as part of the privatisation of TAP due to Lufthansa's higher offer, which is reportedly 16% up on the Air France-KLM bid, and less uncertainty. Lufthansa Group has offered a purchase price of €1bn for a 44.9% stake, but this amount could increase to up to €1.2bn for the acquisition of a 49.9% stake. The deal also includes a proposal for the acquisition of a majority stake in TAP, under a possible second phase divestment. Lufthansa said it would support TAP's growth while preserving its national identity and strengthening Portugal's connectivity, particularly with North and Latin America. Carsten Spohr, chairman of the executive board and chief executive of Deutsche Lufthansa, said: "TAP Air Portugal is a strong and profitable airline, our long-standing partner in Star Alliance and internationally successful as a leading carrier on South Atlantic routes. "This allows us to consistently pursue our internationalisation strategy and sustainably strengthen our position in the South Atlantic market. Our company has enjoyed a close and trusted partnership with Portugal for many years." Cargo impact In terms of cargo, the deal will allow Lufthansa Cargo to expand its offering between Europe and South America - in particular Brazil - and Africa from TAP's Lisbon and Porto hubs. The airline currently serves 14 destinations to Brazil and is considered the leading European carrier for the country. Meanwhile, TAP will gain access to Lufthansa's strong network heading east and its fleet of freighters, allowing it to expand the types of cargo it can carry. Digital systems will, however, need to be aligned as both utilise different platforms. As part of the deal, one of the last European airline privatisation projects, 5% of shares will be reserved for employees. Lufthansa will appoint three executive directors. The government will retain five of the nine board of directors, including the chairman. The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of 2028. Lufthansa has also committed to expanding TAP's fleet to 117 aircraft by 2035 and 130 aircraft after 2035. It currently stands at around 100 aircraft.

Ex-India spot rates and surcharges ease as peak comes to an end

Container lines, sensing a gradual slowdown in Indian westbound volumes, are revisiting their surcharges and penalties, indicating a hot market may be turning decidedly cooler. The liners had been increasingly rolling booking cancellation and container no-show fees into their freight bills in recent months to maximise profitability from booming demand. Now, according to industry sources, Hapag-Lloyd, for one, has revised its cancellation fee drastically for Indian customers to $100 per container, from the $300 in force since late July. The German carrier reportedly had the highest such charge among the major carriers, sparking concerns for Indian exporters as they scrambled for vessel space. And the carrier had previously announced a $300 per box "container rollover fee" to be applied when a booking was rolled within 10 days of the original vessel departure. This month's reduction seems to cover both fees. One forwarder told The Loadstar: "The market is shifting to the shippers' side. There is now no room for carriers to recover all kinds of surcharges, as they want." The disruption in the Middle East had prompted a wave of hefty emergency surcharges by all carriers, sparking pushback and questions from various maritime regulatory authorities across their markets, including in India. In early March, the Directorate of General of Shipping warned the lines against "indulging in predatory or opportunistic pricing". Meanwhile, cargo bookings across westbound trades from India have dropped in recent days, signalling the beginning of a market downturn after a strong peak season. As a result, ocean rates, ex-India to Europe and the US, are trending down, with expectations that the recent elevated levels will halve over the next few weeks. Indeed, Hapag-Lloyd yesterday advised forwarders it had revised spot rates for bookings on the 8,000 teu Tucapel, one of the vessels deployed on its TPI service between India (leaving JNPA on 24 October) and the US east coast, to $8,000 per 40ft - a reduction of around $1,500. India's exports have had an upbeat run over the past few months, showing high double-digit growth, according to government data; by value, surging 23% year on year last month, continuing the demand rally seen in prior months. The recent peak season has also begun to show up in Container Trade Statistics (CTS) data, which now includes August, with all-in rates on the India/Middle East-North America trade showing sharp year-on-year growth... ... while India-Europe rates have been on a longer rally since March, overcoming a mid-year wobble. "September's strong export growth is an encouraging affirmation of India's competitiveness in a challenging global trading environment," said SC Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations. "Our exporters continue to respond to uncertainty with agility, strengthening their presence across markets and product categories." That momentum was also reflected in container volumes handled at the major Indian ports: JNPA saw record throughput of some 835,000 teu last month, up from 649,000 teu in September 2025. You can contact the writer at [email protected]