Overview of process changes

Effective 15 June 2026, we are introducing an enhanced Quick Drop-off process for General Cargo. For eligible shipments, documentary acceptance will be completed automatically during registration at our Self-service Terminals. This allows truck drivers to bypass the counter and proceed directly to the truck dock, accelerating the acceptance process. Truck drivers will find the relevant information on the final screen during check-in at the Self-service Terminal and on their receipt. Both will state: "Please wait to be called to an available truck dock."

The delivery status can be checked in eTracking. Self-service Terminal printouts may be used as additional receipts.

Main requirements: All shipments must have PreCheck status “Success” and security information must be transmitted digitally. Shipments requiring additional manual checks (e.g. DGR, BUP) are excluded from this process.

FRA

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We would like to remind all customers that Lufthansa Cargo does not transport any waste materials covered under the Basel Convention (please see TACT Rules). It is the responsibility of the shipper to ensure that consignments comply with all applicable regulations.

Restricted Materials Include:

Electronic and Electrical Waste (E-Waste)  

Plastic Waste  

Metal Waste and Scrap

•  Precious metals
• Ash catalysts, other residues

Textile and Fiber Waste  

Ceramic Waste 

Hazardous Waste  

Any material shipped for disposal, recycling, or recovery – Even if non-hazardous, materials which are named in the Basel convention will not be accepted by Lufthansa Cargo. 

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As of March 10, 2026, the Add-on Services Sustainable Choice, Personal Supervision and smartULD will be integrated directly into the booking process and can be added at just one click - for complete transparency, whenever you need them. 

Simply select the Product available for your commodity in eBooking, choose the Speed available and continue to the check-out screen. At the end, all compatible Add-on Services will be displayed, including prices. They can be added with just one click.

Please note that the old booking process will be unavailable from 5:00 pm CET on March, 9 to allow for the migration of bookings into the new system. Add-on Service via eBooking will go live at 12:00 p.m. CET on March 10. 

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All manuals for Shipper Built ULDs have been updated (EN and DE version):

•   BUP Manual

•   BUP500+ Refresher Manual

•   BUPairmail 

Changes are highlighted in yellow. Major changes are:

•    Maximum gross weight of PAJ in the Main Deck: reduced to 5000 kg

•    Maximum weight of loads secured by tied-down spiders: reduced to 750 kg / 1500 kg

•    Serviceability of ULDs and pallet nets: major changes following the updates in the AHM GP

•    Lashing with straps (under the net, in a container):

       - Certified (ETSO or TSOC172) OAL material explicitly allowed

       - Containers with 8 (or more) attachment points

•    BUP500+:

       - Exercises re-worked

       - B/U principles for the F-contour added

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Effective March 1, 2026, Lufthansa Cargo will only accept kennels that fully comply with LH05 Operator Variations within the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR).

In brief, key changes are:

• Frame: only wooden or steel beams
• Side walls: solid wood or plywood

As of March 1, 2026, Metal kennels are not permitted any longer.

Worldwide

Worldwide

As of February 17th, 2026 (09:00 AM LT FRA), the process for documentary export acceptance will change as follows:

• All Passive Temp Support and Valuable shipments (including temperature‑sensitive and valuable dangerous goods) will undergo documentary acceptance at the General Export Acceptance Office.
• After documentation has been completed, physical acceptance will take place at the Pharma Hub or the Valuable Center, depending on the shipment type.

Exemptions:

• Active Temp Control: Documentary acceptance will continue to take place at the Pharma Hub.
• Life Human Organs: Documentary acceptance will continue to take place at the Valuable Center.

FRA

Not applicable

We would like to remind all customers that a s per US Customs regulation, C.F.R § 122.48a “Electronic information for air cargo required in advance of arrival”, carriers are obliged to report cargo quantity based on the smallest external packaging unit, at both master and house bill level.

To comply with this requirement, correct piece and SLAC count information, as provided by the customer, is necessary.

While the SLAC was not being fully enforced in the past, US Customs is now conducting increased inspections and verifying the reported pieces with the physical pieces.

More detailed instructions are to be found in the attached document shared by US Customs, CBP.

Any violations are subject to fines by CBP and will be debited to the customers.

Worldwide

USA

Starting January 18, 2026, communication regarding after sales topics will be handled via a new central email address:
[email protected] 

This update is part of our commitment to making communication with us simpler and more convenient for you.

Please note:
The specialized email addresses currently in use will be phased out and deactivated after a transitional period.

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The Egyptian Customs Authority has officially announced that the Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system will become mandatory for all air freight shipments to Egypt starting January 1, 2026.

Sanctions include customs fines and possible return of shipment.

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EG

--Addendum -- 

The EBR OK statement may also be transmitted in the OSI line of the FWB / Handling Info of the AWB. 
 

***** Original Notification *****

Starting September 1, 2025, new requirements apply for documenting an established business relationship (EBR) for Regulated Agents. 

When delivering unsecured cargo to Lufthansa Cargo at the locations Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Vienna, a confirmation of an existing established business relationship (EBR) is required, regardless of the destination country.  

Transmission Format:
The statement “EBR OK” must be included in the Handling Information Line of the Air Waybill (AWB). 
For electronic transmission (FWB), “EBR OK” must be entered in the OCI line. 

LCAG will make use of ST as the Customs, Securiy, and Regulatory Control Information Identifier as per IATA Composition Table. 

OCI/Country Code/EXP/ST/EBR OK 

For example a shipment exporting Germany (DE): 

OCI/DE/EXP/ST/EBR OK  

If this information is not transmitted, it will be assumed that no EBR exists.

The reason for this change is the implementation of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/920, which takes effect in the EU on September 1, 2025. The legal basis and requirements are defined in sections 6.0.7 and 6.0.8 of this regulation.

Deliveries to other German and EU stations are subject to the requirements of the national authorities, which are not yet available to us and may vary accordingly. Compliance with these requirements is the responsibility of the Regulated Agent.

Exception – Export Shipments to Canada
For shipments destined for Canada, the EBR must still be provided as a paper declaration.
 

DUS, HAM, FRA, MUC, VIE

None

Starting September 1, 2025, new requirements apply for documenting an established business relationship (EBR) for Regulated Agents. 

When delivering unsecured cargo to Lufthansa Cargo at the locations Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Vienna, a confirmation of an existing established business relationship (EBR) is required, regardless of the destination country.  

Transmission Format:
The statement “EBR OK” must be included in the Handling Information Line of the Air Waybill (AWB). 
For electronic transmission (FWB), “EBR OK” must be entered in the OCI line. 

LCAG will make use of ST as the Customs, Securiy, and Regulatory Control Information Identifier as per IATA Composition Table. 

OCI/Country Code/EXP/ST/EBR OK 

For example a shipment exporting Germany (DE): 

OCI/DE/EXP/ST/EBR OK  

If this information is not transmitted, it will be assumed that no EBR exists.

The reason for this change is the implementation of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/920, which takes effect in the EU on September 1, 2025. The legal basis and requirements are defined in sections 6.0.7 and 6.0.8 of this regulation.

Deliveries to other German and EU stations are subject to the requirements of the national authorities, which are not yet available to us and may vary accordingly. Compliance with these requirements is the responsibility of the Regulated Agent.

Exception – Export Shipments to Canada
For shipments destined for Canada, the EBR must still be provided as a paper declaration.
 

DUS, HAM, FRA, MUC, VIE

None

As previously communicated, the new Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/920 on aviation security has been published.

It introduces significant changes for entities within the secure supply chain—particularly for Regulated Agents and Known Consignors.

The regulation will come into effect on 1 September 2025. 

Under the new requirements, the following information must be provided for export shipments from Europe:

• Commodity description in acc. with “EU guidance acceptable goods description” (https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/customs/union-customs-code/ucc-guidance-documents_en)
• Details of all parties involved, including:
• Original shipper and consignor (if different)
• Original consignee and final recipient (if different) 
• For each of these parties, the following data is required:
• Name of the natural person or the company (if different and as applicable) 
• Full address
• Contact details, including phone number

Europe (EU/EFTA)

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The European Commission has published a new regulation on aviation security

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/920  was officially released on 19 May 2025 and introduces amendments to the existing framework for entities in the secure supply chain — particularly regulated agents and known consignors.

The regulation will come into effect on  1 September 2025 .

We will provide further details on the specific implications and required adjustments in the coming weeks.

This message is for your early awareness only.

No immediate action is required at this time.

Europe (EU)

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(Original publication date: 03APR2023)

For the commodities aircraft/helicopter parts and engines the goods description on the AWB and in the FWB/FHL must explicitly specify if the aircraft or helicopter parts (and engines) are for a civil or military use.

In the case of military use the additional statement "Not subject to relevant war weapons control rules” must be included. 

Non-specification will lead to non-acceptance of the shipment.

Worldwide

Worldwide

(Original publication date: 02MAR2023)

As previously informed, the European Union is implementing a new Customs security and safety program “Import Control System 2 (ICS 2)”. 

Release 2, applicable as of March 1st 2023, is relevant for all air cargo and airmail shipments with origin in a third (non-EU) country with destination or transit in the EU.

Lufthansa Cargo has been well prepared for the ICS2 requirement and has adapted existing processes and several IT systems to ensure the on-time compliance to the authorities´ regulation. We would like to thank you for your support and active cooperation in preparing for the ICS2 implementation.

However, we were informed in the afternoon of FEB 28th 2023, that the European Commission made a significant last-minute change regarding the transition strategy to Release 2: Carriers operating direct flights from non-EU countries to EU member states not ready for ICS 2, were strongly recommended to request for a deployment window, in order to maintain safety and security across the EU. 

Our main focus is to ensure a smooth shipment flow under the ICS2 regulation. This is why we decided to follow the recommendation by EU authorities and have applied for and been granted a deployment window until latest 30th June. This is to accommodate the fact that our network includes several EU member states not yet ready for ICS2-implementation.

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(Original publication date: 02JAN2023)

Brazil has published a new state variation BRG-05 in the IATA DGR 64th edition, effective 1st January 2023. The variation mandates that dangerous goods packed in UN specification packaging transported to and from Brazil must be accompanied by a copy of the respective packaging approval certificate, issued by a civil aviation authority or any other appropriate national authority.

The approval certificate(s) have to be made available to Lufthansa Cargo along with the shipper’s declaration for dangerous goods consignments transported to and from Brazil. The airline is required to ensure compliance with BRG-05 by verifying that the certificate(s) are available upon the dangerous goods acceptance check. 

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Brazil

All manuals for Shipper Built ULDs have been updated (EN and DE versions):

• BUP Manual
• BUP500+ Refresher Manual
• BUPairmail

Changes are highlighted within the documents. Major changes are:

• Qualification requirements: a sufficient number of staff who control the build-up and sign the ULD tag must hold a valid BUP qualification. This means that staff with a supporter role may assist in the build-up in BUP-agents' warehouses.
• Securing of small pieces: requirements added
• Sodium Ion Batteries added
• PER: Non-transparent thermo covers allowed (earlier only for PAS)
• WET cargo: build-up requirements added
• Vehicles added (only with BUP500+):
  • Please consider limitations as per the Manual
  • BUP500+ classroom trainings including vehicles are available, but only from LCAG (3rd party trainings yet to be updated).

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The European Union has implemented a system check in ICS2 customs reporting system, that rejects messages containing invalid Consignee EORI numbers.

Please submit only valid EORI numbers as per EU database as Consignee EORI/Trader ID numbers.

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/eos/eori_home.jsp?Lang=en

Make sure you update your systems to contain only valid data in this regard.

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As of 1July 2025 Algeria customs mandatorily requires some data elements for all import shipments.

- 6 digit HS Codes

- NIF (Tax ID number) for economic operator consignee

- NIN (National ID number) for non-economic operator consignee (natural person)

HS Codes are mandatory for all shipments. Government institutions, ministries, diplomatic mail and human remains are exempt from providing NIF.

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Algeria

Lufthansa Cargo extends the existing transit times for td.Zoom onto passanger airline capacities.

We are taking this step due to operational reasons, that had put additional pressure on td.Zoom transit times, causing missed connexes or flight delays.

Up until now, the transit time for td.Zoom in our hub FRA was 60 minutes. We are extending these to 120 minutes. This change will be until further notice.
It is an important corrective action to allow for operational stabilization and, therefore, quality increase. We will closely monitor this situation, as we hope to return to our short td.Zoom transit times, which are an important offer element and strongly valued by our customers.

Which shipments are affected?

• All td.Zoom shipments with a connex in FRA onto passenger airlines capacity
• All td.Zoom shipments larger than 32 kg CWT

Which markets are affected?

• All markets

Which shipments are not affected and, therefore, will have no change?

• All shipments smaller than 32 kg CWT
• All shipments with connex onto RFS and freighter

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