German Cargo

German Cargo Services GmbH

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Cargo airline
Founded	1977
Defunct	1993
Fate	Split into Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Cargo Charter; later fully integrated
Headquarters	Frankfurt , West Germany
Products	Air cargo transport, including live animals and oversized freight
Owner	Lufthansa

German Cargo Services GmbH, known commercially as German Cargo, functioned as a cargo airline in West Germany and was entirely owned by Lufthansa.

History

Established in 1977 to circumvent IATA restrictions on Lufthansa's cargo operations, German Cargo operated as a non-IATA carrier dedicated to managing Lufthansa's cargo charter flights. Its inaugural flight took place on 8 May 1977, utilizing a Boeing 707 stationed at Lufthansa’s central hub, Frankfurt Airport.

The airline later broadened its scope to include scheduled cargo services, focusing mainly on routes to Eastern Africa and the Middle East. Among its specialized offerings were live animal transportation, employing two modified Douglas DC-8 aircraft equipped specifically for equine transport, as well as the carriage of oversized and delicate freight.

In 1993, Lufthansa reorganized its cargo division by dividing German Cargo into two separate companies: Lufthansa Cargo, which took over scheduled services and retained German Cargo’s ICAO designation, and Lufthansa Cargo Charter, responsible for charter and leasing activities. For a short period, German Cargo was renamed Lufthansa Cargo Airlines before being fully integrated. Subsequently, the German Cargo callsign was revived for a collaborative venture between Lufthansa, DHL, and AeroLogic.

Fleet

Initially equipped with four Boeing 707 freighters, German Cargo shifted predominantly to Douglas DC-8 aircraft throughout most of its operational years. Beginning in 1990, the fleet expanded to include larger Boeing 747 freighters and smaller Boeing 737 freighters; these were eventually incorporated into Lufthansa Cargo’s fleet. All planes were configured exclusively for cargo transport:

Aircraft	Introduced	Retired
Boeing 707	Template:Center	Template:Center
Boeing 737-200	Template:Center	Template:Center
Boeing 747-200	Template:Center	Template:Center
Douglas DC-8	Template:Center	Template:Center

During the 1970s and 1980s, aircraft were painted in a simple yellow color scheme; from 1990 onwards, the livery was updated to mirror Lufthansa’s corporate identity, featuring a yellow tail fin adorned with the German Cargo emblem.