DHL, the world's leading express and logistics company, and Lufthansa Cargo, world market leader in international air freight traffic, announced today joint operation on five international routes. Both DHL and Lufthansa Cargo benefit from this long-term strategic cooperation. DHL and its customers profit from reduced transit times between the US, Asian and European markets. Lufthansa Cargo secures its base capacity utilisation in the long term and offers its customers new intercontinental connections.

"These new intercontinental routes will provide DHL customers with even greater connectivity and choice when shipping between the world's three major continents," said Uwe R. Doerken, CEO DHL Express. "This is another example of DHL growing with its customers - they told us they needed these routes and timings, and we?ve delivered them."

"The intensified cooperation between the No 1 air freight carrier with the leading integrator brings attractive future prospects: our base capacity utilisation will be improved, our growth further enhanced and our customer can profit from an expanded network," said Lufthansa Cargo Executive Board Chairman Jean-Peter Jansen.

The shared network will be operated by Lufthansa Cargo with MD11 freighters, both companies will share the available capacity.

The new deal further optimises DHL's global network, as it links the DHL's East Midlands, Cologne and Brussels hubs directly into intercontinental connections. DHL and its customers will further benefit from guaranteed blocked space and improved departure times for these new flights.

The five new routes will be serviced each by four to five joint flights a week and are to be introduced from 28th March 2004 (the start of the summer flight schedule):

• East Midlands - Cincinnati - East Midlands

• Brussels - New York (JFK) - Brussels

• Cologne - Bahrain - Singapore - Delhi - Cologne

• East Midlands - Cologne - Hong Kong - Sharjah - Cologne - Bergamo - East Midlands

• Cologne - East Midlands - New York (JFK) - Cologne (introduced July 2003)

The alliance is an extension of the current relationship between DHL and Lufthansa Cargo performed within the jointly owned Aerologic GmbH. It will create the biggest operational tie-up in the industry between the world market leader of air cargo and the leading international express and logistics company.

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