The recent announcement by MASKargo, the cargo arm of Malaysia Airlines, to discontinue its freighter service to Frankfurt has spurred interest in Malaysia by European carriers, including Lufthansa Cargo, which is closely monitoring the Malaysian market.
While Lufthansa Cargo does not operate an all-freighter service to Malaysia, Lufthansa Airlines has increased its five weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur to a daily flight now.
"Malaysia is an interesting market, with its strategic location, from the business point of view, within ASEAN.
"Of course, the decision by MASKargo to discontinue its three times a week freighter flights to Frankfurt has been taken by it, obviously, in its own interest," said Frank Bellner, a Singapore-based regional director (Southeast Asia/Australia) of Lufthansa Cargo, in an interview with Bernama.
Bellner is currently in Frankfurt to participate in the carrier's special conference on climate change and on reduction of aircraft emission.
"The whole of Asia, including Malaysia, is inherent with strong business potential," he added.
Lufthansa deploys the A34O aircraft on its daily passenger flights from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur, and cargo is also transported in the aircraft on these flights.
"The belly cargo volume transported on Lufthansa's passenger aircraft ranges between 70 and 100 tonnes a week.
"In terms of cargo volume, the passenger planes flying to Kuala Lumpur are full...the passenger capacity is also doing well," Bellner said.
He said that the outbound export cargo shipped from Malaysia included electronics, including parts and components, live animals and pharmaceuticals.
With Malaysia having graduated from a producer of low-end products to value-added products, the large part of the country's exports to Germany, Europe and further to North America comprise value-added and upper-end products.
However, one surprising element of recent Malaysian exports to Germany and most of the Eurozone countries is that export shipments had not been affected so far by the euro's depreciation against the greenback.
"We have not noticed much change so far in exports from Malaysia to Germany and other countries of the Eurozone," Bellner said.
Bernama
Sat Jun 13 2015
LUFTHANSA CARGO: Malaysia is an interesting market, with its strategic location, from the business point of view, within ASEAN. - File Photo
RUU tahanan di rumah bakal dibentang di Parlimen tahun depan - Saifuddin
Beliau berkata Kabinet telah memberikan kelulusan dasar untuk pelaksanaan RUU berkenaan.
Perahu karam: Tiga selaman bomba gagal temui mangsa
Lima individu hilang selepas perahu lumba yang dinaiki karam dan tenggelam berhampiran kawasan perindustrian Bintawa masih belum dikesan.
AWANI Ringkas: Operasi SAR masuk hari kedua
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Penduduk Kuala Perlis berpesta sambut air pasang
Lebih 2,000 penduduk Kuala Perlis berdepan fenomena air pasang besar 3.7m, menjejaskan 1,577 kediaman dan dua PPS dibuka untuk mangsa banjir.
ARMADA tidak terlibat laporan rasuah konsesi pasir
ARMADA tidak terlibat dalam membuat laporan atau dakwaan berhubung siasatan yang dijalankan ke atas seorang ahli politik berpengaruh, berkaitan perbadanan Menteri Besar Selangor yang dikaitkan dengan rasuah konsesi perlombongan pasir.
Kereta kebal Israel kepung, bom bangunan Hospital Indonesia di Gaza - Pengarah
Dr Marwan al-Sultan berkata jabatan penjagaan pascapembedahan telah terkena serangan dan tentera hanya berada kira-kira 20 meter dari bangunan.
Fokus kepada rakyat, kurangkan projek mega - pakar
Belanjawan 2024 dilihat sebagai belanjawan yang berfokus kepada rakyat, dengan penekanan pada bantuan dan pengagihan kewangan kepada semua lapisan masyarakat, menurut Penganalisis Ekonomi, Prof. Barjoyai Bardai.
Beliau menjelaskan bahawa belanjawan kali ini tidak menyertakan projek-projek mega yang memakan perbelanjaan besar, sebaliknya memberi perhatian kepada golongan yang memerlukan.
Beliau menjelaskan bahawa belanjawan kali ini tidak menyertakan projek-projek mega yang memakan perbelanjaan besar, sebaliknya memberi perhatian kepada golongan yang memerlukan.
Negara kecil perlu waspada - Tun Mahathir
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad memberi amaran kepada negara-negara kecil supaya mengambil tahu mengenai situasi yang berlaku di Asia Barat.
[TERKINI] Malaysia berduka, kutuk pembunuhan Yahya Sinwar oleh Zionis - PM Anwar
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menzahirkan kedukaan selepas Pemimpin Hamas, Yahya Sinwar meninggal dunia akibat dibunuh rejim zionis Israel, pada Khamis lalu.
[TERKINI] Dua pegawai Imigresen direman, disiasat atur kemasukan warga asing
Dua pegawai Imigresen direman tiga hari kerana disyaki mengatur kemasukan warga asing melalui laluan khas di LTAPP. Siasatan di bawah Akta SPRM 2009.