Delta says cargo demand means adding passenger flights

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, starting May 16, 2020, 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 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

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: