Lufthansa helps earthquake victims in China

Since the severe earthquake in Sichuan Province in China, millions of people in the region have been dependent on aid. Yesterday morning, Lufthansa Cargo dispatched a relief flight with the flight number LH 8462 from Frankfurt to Chengdu.

The MD-11 freighter aircraft took off for the disaster area at 3.20 hrs local time, two hours after being loaded with about 80 tonnes of relief items, and landing 14 hours later in the Chinese city. The aid supplies have been donated by the regional government of Hesse and will be transported free of charge by Lufthansa Cargo.

Lufthansa Executive Board member Stefan Lauer said: "Lufthansa takes its responsibility as a global company seriously. The Group has had a presence in China for several decades and has established close ties there in all its business areas. With this relief flight we aim to help the victims of the earthquake disaster in China and use all the means at our disposal to help ease the suffering of the people.”

"We should like to thank the regional government of Hesse and Lufthansa for their sympathy. This emergency aid will help to ensure that the local people receive targeted support," said Chinese Consul General in Frankfurt Haiyan Li.

On 17 May, as part of a joint initiative Lufthansa Cargo Charter Agency and Jade Cargo International, a Lufthansa Cargo subsidiary, dispatched a planeload of aid from Frankfurt to Chengdu. In the last few days, Jade Cargo International has also operated several flights to ferry relief goods from a number of Chinese cities to the disaster area. Jade Cargo International has also conducted relief flights to Myanmar.

Other relief flights from Europe to China will be dispatched by Jade Cargo International and Lufthansa Cargo Charter Agency within the next few weeks.