LUFTHANSA, VARIG TO LAUNCH JOINT CARGO SERVICES

LUFTHANSA, VARIG TO LAUNCH JOINT CARGO SERVICES    Lufthansa Cargo and its Brazilian Star Alliance partner Varig will launch a joint transatlantic air freight network this fall.
   Under a bilateral agreement, Lufthansa and Varig will share capacity on transatlantic freighter flights between Frankfurt and Viracopos airport near Sao Paulo beginning in September. Varig will launch DC-10 freighter feeder flights in cooperation with Lufthansa between Sao Paulo; Buenos Aires; Montevideo, Uruguay; and Bogota, Colombia.
   Initially, Lufthansa will operate B747-200 freighters six times weekly between its hub in Frankfurt and Viracopos. The airline plans to boost frequency on the Brazil-Germany route next summer with daily MD-11 freighter service. The Star Alliance carriers plan to establish Viracopos as their South America air freight hub.
   Lufthansa currently operates three-weekly flights to Brazil. The German carrier said joint services with Varig will give shippers in Europe and South America more options with greater service frequency and better access to smaller South American markets.