Cargo demand pushes Delta to reignite Europe passenger services

Demand for air cargo is driving the return of Delta’s passenger services from the United States to Germany and the U.K. for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic closed borders. Beginning May 21, 2020, flights to Frankfurt and London will operate three times weekly from Atlanta and Detroit, respectively. The flights will also be available for customer travel.

“Keeping global supply chains open is more important now than ever and these new services will enable suppliers to meet the needs of their customers,” said Shawn Cole, Vice President – Delta Cargo. “We’re receiving daily requests for shipments of medical supplies as well as goods that keep businesses in operation. By also opening these services to passengers, we can facilitate essential travel between the U.K., Europe and United States.”

Cargo will be transported between Los Angeles and Frankfurt, via Atlanta, and between Chicago and London, via Detroit, increasing the shipping opportunities for cargo customers. The Frankfurt service will be operated using an Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 31 tons of cargo capacity, while a Boeing 767-300 will fly to Heathrow with 26 tons of cargo capacity.

Delta is also launching scheduled cargo-only flights between New York-JFK and Mumbai, India, this month, subject to foreign government approval. And the airline continues to operate cargo-only services from Asia, which launched last month to transport much-needed medical equipment to the United States.

Meanwhile, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta has implemented a number of measures to keep its customers safe on board and in airports. These include:

• Sanitizing the aircraft before every flight
• Using state-of-the-art air circulation systems with HEPA filters that extract more than 99.999% of viruses
• Capping capacity throughout the aircraft to ensure onboard customer spacing
• Adjusting the boarding process to encourage more space for safer travel by boarding all flights from back-to-front – reducing the instances of customers needing to pass by one another
• Providing supplies directly to customers when available, including hand sanitizers
• Requiring employees and customers to wear a face mask or appropriate covering when travelling

“The safety of our customers is always our number one priority, and their wellbeing is the reason we have implemented these wide-ranging measures,” said Roberto Ioriatti, Vice President – Transatlantic. “The advent of COVID-19 is changing the way we fly and that’s why our focus on cleanliness will remain in place always. We hope that these efforts will give our customers greater peace of mind when they step on board.”

Furthermore, the consolidation of operations at Frankfurt Airport means Delta’s flights are temporarily moving from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1. At London Heathrow, Delta has moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2. There are limited retail outlets open at both airports and all lounges are currently closed.

Delta’s Atlanta-Frankfurt service will operate as follows:

Delta’s Detroit-London Heathrow service will operate as follows:

Delta’s New York-JFK-Mumbai cargo-only service will operate as follows: