The logistics group DHL has received the "Planet Award of Excellence" for the first time. Lufthansa Cargo, Germany’s largest cargo airline, traditionally awards the accolade for outstanding cooperation with its most important customers. On the occasion of this year’s Global Partner Council, Lufthansa Cargo Chairman and CEO Karl Ulrich Garnadt joined with Board Member Product and Sales Dr. Andreas Otto in awarding the prize to Ken Allen, CEO of DHL Global Express, Ingo-Alexander Rahn, Head of Global Air Freight DHL Global Forwarding and Charlie Dobbie, Executive Vice President, Global Network Operations, DHL Express.

Garnadt emphasised: “DHL and Lufthansa Cargo have been very successful partners for many years. We are proud of having been able to achieve stable tonnages with our largest customer in the world, even in what was a difficult 2012. Both companies are linked by more than just a customer-supplier relationship - our joint cargo airline, AeroLogic, is a success story that nobody in our industry has been able to repeat to date.” The joint venture of DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo flies with eight Boeing 777 freighters to more than 20 destinations for both companies.

Dr. Andreas Otto also emphasised the pursuit of better performance that unites both DHL and Lufthansa Cargo: “Our common understanding of quality is essential to our success. Thanks to close, trusting cooperation, we have achieved considerable improvements for our shared customers in respect of themost important topics in our industry, such as new security requirements, environmental management and the expansion of eFreight.” Dr. Andreas Otto highlighted the intensive cooperation in respect of “global mail” also, another DHL business area.

Ken Allen from DHL Express also emphasised the success of the close cooperation between both logistics companies: “We are really delighted to have received such a renowned award from one of our most important partners. The cooperation with Lufthansa Cargo has consistently evolved over recent years. We want to continue this success and further develop our shared business, whether in our joint venture AeroLogic or the conventional airfreight business.”

Ingo-Alexander Rahn added: “Our partnership with Lufthansa Cargo allows us to build on a stable and successful business relationship. At the same time, however, we also want to take new paths together and drive innovation and the digitalisation of our joint processes. A successful partnership with a leading airline also helps us to take courageous, forward-looking decisions.”

The Lufthansa Cargo Global Partnership Program is an important platform for sustainable growth. The eleven Global Partners, namely Agility, CEVA, Dachser, Expeditors, DB Schenker, DHL Global Forwarding, Hellmann, Kühne+Nagel, Panalpina, UPS and Uti, account for around half of Lufthansa Cargo’s turnover. The Global Partner Council is an annual top-level meeting of the world’s leading forwarders with board members and top management at Lufthansa Cargo.