Lufthansa Cargo and ITA Airways begin capacity cooperation from Rome

Lufthansa Cargo has expanded its partnership with ITA Airways with the start of the winter schedule on 26 October 2025. Shipments from Rome–Fiumicino are now moving under Lufthansa Cargo’s AWB number 020. In the first two weeks, the companies transported more than 1,000 tons of freight on ITA Airways passenger flights.

The cooperation began in June on flights bound for Rome and is now almost fully implemented. Routes to and from the US and Canada remain on hold pending regulatory approval.

By adding Rome, Lufthansa Cargo increases its available belly capacity by roughly 20%. Rome–Fiumicino now acts as the company’s fifth European hub, joining Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna and Brussels. Customers gain more routing choices and greater flexibility across the intercontinental network.

The new hub provides up to 30 weekly cargo connections to South America, including Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. It adds up to 21 weekly flights to Asia, serving Bangkok, New Delhi and Tokyo-Haneda. Seasonal flights to Mauritius and Malé are also included. Up to 71 weekly services now link Rome with North Africa and the Middle East, including Algiers, Cairo, Accra, Dakar, Tunis, Dubai and Riyadh.

The expansion also strengthens Lufthansa Cargo’s road feeder services and improves links to its existing European hubs.

“Launching our first cargo connections from Rome is an important milestone,” said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo. “Our customers gain access to a wider network and a strong hub in southern Europe. This makes our network the broadest in Europe and supports our mission of ‘Enabling Global Business.’”

The cooperation follows the Lufthansa Group’s investment in ITA Airways. Since June, Lufthansa Cargo has gradually marketed ITA’s belly capacity to strengthen the Group’s network and respond to shifting market needs.

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