Carsten_Hernig

Lufthansa Cargo’s subsidiary Jettainer has developed a new light-weight pallet, which can be used in aircraft.

Made of a composite material with a sandwich design, the light-weight pallets weigh 70kg and are said to significantly reduce fuel consumption of an aircraft.

In collaboration with its partners, Jettainer completed initial trial phase of the pallet and is conducting a long-term test initially in trucks with a roller bed, to evaluate realistic load results as possible.

"Made of a composite material with a sandwich design, the light-weight pallets weigh 70kg and are said to significantly reduce fuel consumption of an aircraft."

According to Jettainer, the tough and stable material used in the new pallet is designed to eliminate the need of heavy-duty bases to stabilise the load, ensuring total weight is significantly lower.

Jettainer managing director Carsten Hernig said: "Our innovative products are being comprehensively tested in real conditions so that we can even use our customers feedback during the development phase.

"In the end we want to offer our customers a globally unique and perfect product that will only be available from Jettainer."

The new lightweight pallets are subject to certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in mid-2015.

Jettainer manages a fleet of more than 85,000 unit load devices (ULDs) for 16 airlines. The company operates at more than 450 airports worldwide.

Image: Jettainer managing director Carsten Hernig. Photo: courtesy of Jettainer GmbH.