Welcome To The
 Lufthansa Cargo Building 261 Tribute Site 

This site is dedicated to the staff of employees (both past and present),
who were assigned duties at the Lufthansa Cargo facility, located in
building #261 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

Anyone wishing to contribute additional photos
or information can reach us by clicking below:
 

 Early History Of Cargo Building 261 
Opened in 1965 by Mr. Peter Hees, the very first Lufthansa Cargo facility in New York was actually located in building 80.  The warehouse itself was small, but served it's purpose of allowing Lufthansa Airlines to open it's first NYC gateway for freight from Germany into the USA.

A booming business back in the 60's, Lufthansa's freighter operations steadily grew at a phenomenal pace.  With the implementation of the world's first 747F service ready to commence, it was obvious Lufthansa Cargo needed to gear itself up for bigger things to come.  Eventually building 80 became too small to handle the enormous volume of cargo, and was considered inadequate.  With the green light flashing from LCAG headquarters in Frankfurt Germany, Mr. Hees submitted building plans for a brand new 'state of the art' cargo facility to be constructed at JFK, leading to the birth of Lufthansa Cargo Building 261.

 Building 261 - Construction Photo 1 Date: 28JUN71 

 Building 261 - Construction Photo 2 Date: 28JUN71 

 Inside view of the main deck of a Lufthansa B747F

The new cargo facility plans called for 4000 square feet of floor storage space, along with a computer operated Elevated Transport Vehicle (ETV), capable of storing over 200 aircraft containers and cargo pallets.  Additionally, there was to be a second computer automated storage "Stacker" system consisting of over 4000 storage bins, offering additional storage space for smaller packages and shipments.  The Stacker was designed to allow the storage bins to travel around the entire cargo facility for easy access.  But, the truly unique part of this new facility was going to be the aircraft's internal nose-dock feature, first ever constructed at JFK, as well as for Lufthansa Cargo AG worldwide.

In late 1970, ground construction commenced for Lufthansa's new JFK cargo plant.  The location of building 261 was on South Cargo Road, just west of Flying Tigers Cargo and across from the Allegany Cargo facility.  For the next 32 years, Lufthansa Cargo's large marquee could easily be seen by motorists from either direction of the NYC Belt Parkway.  In later years, the completion of the new JFK Expressway offered both travelers and airport personnel a closer view of the facility.  On a lucky day, everyone enjoyed a quick peek of Lufthansa's unique Nose-Dock in action.

 Early 70's aerial view of the new Lufthansa Cargo warehouse (Building 261)
 at John F. Kennedy International Airport 

 Lufthansa Cargo AG - "A Cutting Edge Company 
For many years, Lufthansa's Cargo warehouse was considered the airport's #1, state of the art air freight facility in New York.  The internal nose dock feature ensured that all cargo was completely safe from damage caused by harsh weather elements, while offering a high degree of security to cargo stored inside the facility.  Computerized retrieval of cargo for delivery was accurate and efficient, offering brokers and consignees unprecedented service and satisfaction, which was Lufthansa Cargo's unconditional promise and guarantee to it's customers.  This played a big part of the company's policy for success.

 The first computerized ETV (Elevated Transport Vehicle) manufactured by
 OTIS Elevator Company for Lufthansa, which directly connected the pallet
 and container storage area to the aircraft's internal nose-dock.  This was a
 big 'first' in the history of Lufthansa Cargo.  

 This early 70's advertisement for Lufthansa Cargo ran
 in Business Week magazine.
 (Click on the photo for a larger look at the staff! )

 Lufthansa Cargo AG - Looking Into The Future 
In 1987, Lufthansa's cargo facility underwent several comprehensive improvements, starting with the extension of the western section of the Elevator Traveling Vehicle, better known as the ETV, and floor storage area.  The first upgrade consisted of replacing the original and obsolete ETV made in the early 70's by Otis corporation, with a brand new unit manufactured in Europe by Lodige Inc., exclusively for Lufthansa's JFK cargo facility.  Additional upgrades included new line flight and freighter cargo staging areas, consisting of 2 new extra roller bed work stations along with a new "Traveling Vehicle" (TV).  The TV was to be used for transporting pallets and containers from trucks at doors 27 & 28, directly through the cargo facility to the ETV storage system without a disruption to normal warehouse operations.  To complete the upgrade project, 2 new spacious ramp side cooler units were installed, each capable of holding 4 side door pallets, plus an additional roller excess station which allowed side door pallets to efficiently move in and out of the facility from ramp-side operations (XS3).   These strategic upgrades and improvements helped prepare Lufthansa Cargo's New York facility to meet the growing challenges of moving it's highest freight volumes well into the 21st century.           

 The 'Time Definite' 747-200C Freighter Arrives At The Lufthansa Cargo Facility At JFK. 

 Lufthansa's 'Time Definite' B-747 200C Freighter. 

 Approaching The LH Cargo Facility Nose Dock at JFK 

 Lufthansa's "Big Bird" Being Tugged Into The Nose-Dock Position 

 A Grand View Of The Ramp Featuring The Lufthansa Cargo "YZ" Freighter Nose-docked At Cargo Building 261 


 North View Of Lufthansa's Warehouse Dock And Parking Area At Building 261 

 Lufthansa's Warehouse Import Dock (Photo taken from the 2nd floor maintenance mezzanine). 
 (Photo courtesy of David Morgan JFKGZ)  

Notice the storage bin (lower left) between the yellow lines starting it's journey around the entire
cargo facility, eventually re-entering the stacker inlet.  This towline track system was a part of the
warehouse's computerized bin stacker system, which remained in service until June 2003, when
Lufthansa permanently closed it's cargo doors at building 261.

Disclaimer: This site is not affiliated with Lufthansa Cargo AG, Lufthansa LSG Service or any agency or provider connected with Lufthansa German Airlines Inc.
 It's sole purpose is for educational viewing and entertainment. Crane logo and other graphics copyright Lufthansa German Airlines AG - All rights reserved.