Lufthansa Cargo is expanding its route network in South America this coming New Year. Pending regulatory approval, the cargo airline will begin serving the Brazilian metropolis of Manaus for the first time, on January 21, 2011.

There will be two MD-11 flights per week, from Frankfurt to Manaus, on Mondays and Fridays. The services to the City in the Amazon Basin will include stopovers in both Dakar and Viracopos, S'o Paulo. The return flights from Manaus on Tuesdays and Saturdays will stop in Quito and Bogot', with a technical stop in Curacao.

"Manaus is a free trade zone that has evolved into one of Brazil's major industrial centers", said Achim Martinka, Lufthansa Cargo's Vice President of the Americas. "With our new connections, we are expanding our customized product to accommodate the increased demand from the high-tech industry, especially in Asia."

Lufthansa Cargo is the only cargo carrier to offer direct connections between Europe and Manaus. This further strengthens the airline's dense network in South America. Lufthansa Cargo currently operates ten freighter flights per week between Europe and South America, and in addition Lufthansa offers 31 passenger flights.