• Wallenborn Transports and Cathay Cargo have expanded their European road feeder partnership, adding live tracking and real-time temperature monitoring to improve visibility, control and responsiveness across intermodal air cargo flows, particularly for sensitive shipments.
• The agreement strengthens Cathay Cargo’s European trucking network while reinforcing Wallenborn’s role as a major RFS operator, with the focus on tighter digital integration, faster disruption response and improved end-to-end transparency for customers.
• The deal builds on Wallenborn’s wider airline partnerships, including Lufthansa Cargo’s perishables network, where deep operational integration and high service reliability have already driven contract extensions and long-term collaboration across Europe.

Wallenborn Transports has signed a new trucking partnership agreement with Cathay Cargo, marking a further step in the development of their long-standing co-operation in Europe. The agreement reinforces their shared commitment to delivering more efficient, connected, and customer-centric intermodal transport solutions across the region.

Building on existing operations, the partnership supports the further expansion of Cathay Cargo’s European intermodal network while strengthening service quality, operational efficiency, and overall customer experience. For customers, this means broader connectivity across Europe, improved process reliability and greater transparency throughout the transport journey.

A key element of the agreement is the introduction of new customer-focused capabilities, including live shipment tracking and real-time temperature data. These features will provide customers with improved visibility over their shipments, allowing for more precise monitoring and stronger process control in the handling of sensitive cargo. 

By giving customers and operational teams access to real-time shipment data, these tools also enable faster decision-making and a quicker response to delays or disruptions. For temperature-sensitive cargo in particular, early visibility of deviations helps support product integrity and reduces the risk of avoidable quality incidents across the transport chain.

The partnership reflects a shared ambition to combine operational excellence with digital visibility in order to meet the growing expectations of today’s supply chains, where reliability and service transparency are increasingly essential.

“This agreement with Cathay Cargo represents an important milestone in the continued development of our European trucking network,” said Frantz Wallenborn, executive chairman of Wallenborn Transports. “By strengthening our co-operation with one of the world’s leading air cargo carriers, we are not only expanding connectivity and efficiency but also delivering added value to customers through enhanced live tracking capabilities and real-time temperature monitoring. “

For Wallenborn Transports, the agreement also reflects the continued development of a company that has long been recognized in the industry as a key player in European road feeder services (RFS). This long-standing market position is closely linked to the company’s heritage: Frantz Wallenborn’s route into the business grew out of direct exposure to his family’s transport operations from an early stage, reflecting the continuity and operational grounding that still shape the company today.

Lufthansa contract

The last previous major carrier that contracted with Wallenborn for its FRS activity was in 2023 when Wallenborn embarked on a collaboration with Lufthansa Cargo, taking responsibility for the management of the airline’s European Fresh-to-Door distribution network centred around hubs in Brussels, Frankfurt and Munich.

Given the time- and temperature-sensitive nature of these transported goods, a high degree of integration is essential between all stakeholders, including Health and Customs agencies, to ensure the integrity of each shipment is protected.

Oliver Blum, the airline’s head of airmail, courier and perishables handling, says the success of the partnership has led to Lufthansa Cargo extending its perishables contract with Wallenborn in 2025. “The decisive factors for this were the consistently high quality of operational implementation as well as the professional support for sensitive perishable shipments. The reliability of day-to-day business, the active service orientation, and the high degree of flexibility are all factors of central importance to Lufthansa Cargo and its international clientele. The latest contract extension underlines our mutual trust and forms the basis for continued successful co-operation,” he said.

An essential element of this collaboration is the close relationships Wallenborn has developed with consignors across the globe and consignees in many countries, including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. This ensures a high degree of flexibility and resilience, especially during high seasons, product launches and promotions. This collaboration includes workshops in origin counties, telematics access for importers to increase shipment visibility, and enhanced customer service for all parties. It’s an approach which is highly valued by importers such as Konrad Skowronski, freight manager at Agrotropic AG in Oberhasli, Switzerland, which imports sustainably cultivated cut flowers directly from farms overseas and is renowned for its extensive selection of premium roses. For Agrotropic, the essence of cultivation lies in the enduring long-term relationships they share with farms in countries such as Ecuador, Japan, Kenya, and Sri Lanka. “We regard Wallenborn as a provider of reliable service and clear communication. Our cut flowers are always in competent hands at Wallenborn, and we always feel well-informed and well cared for,” Frank said.

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