Cargolux

For many spotters, Cargolux is the epitome of the jumbo freighter. While other airlines retired their four-engine jets long ago, the Luxembourg company still flies nothing but Boeing 747s – and only as freighters. If you get a 747 with an LX registration and no windows in your viewfinder, you have almost certainly caught a Cargolux. Here you will learn how the airline is set up, how to tell the 747-400F and 747-8F apart, and how to improve your chances of a sighting.

Cargolux at a glance

Cargolux Airlines International is a cargo-only airline from Luxembourg headquartered in Sandweiler, right at Luxembourg-Findel Airport. It was founded in 1970; the founders included Luxembourg’s Luxair, a Swedish shipping company and the Icelandic airline Loftleiðir, as well as private investors from Luxembourg. The start was made by a few turboprop freighters of the Canadair CL-44 type, with which Cargolux initially flew to Asia.

Today Cargolux is one of Europe’s big cargo-only carriers. According to its own figures, around 4,000 people worked for the group at the end of 2025, and the network covers, depending on the source, more than 70 or over 90 destinations worldwide. Within Europe a dense network of truck connections complements the flights: many shipments reach Luxembourg by road and only board a jumbo there. That also explains why you see Cargolux at many European airports less often than its size would suggest.

The ownership structure is unusually colorful. The largest shareholders are Luxair with 35.10 percent and the Chinese investment company HNCA from Henan province with 35.00 percent. Add to that Luxembourg’s state savings bank BCEE, the development bank SNCI and the Luxembourg state. The link to Henan also shows in the schedule: Zhengzhou is an important destination, and one aircraft (LX-VCJ) even carries the name “City of Zhengzhou.”

Codes and callsign

• IATA code CV: appears in the flight number, for example on the air waybill or in the airport’s flight schedule.
• ICAO code CLX: the unique operator code in the air traffic control flight plan and on flight trackers.
• Callsign CARGOLUX: this is how the crew calls in on the radio.

How IATA and ICAO codes relate and why both exist is explained in the article IATA and ICAO codes explained. You will find the difference between flight number and callsign in Callsign vs. flight number: the difference.

The fleet: nothing but jumbos

For decades Cargolux has relied on a single aircraft type: the Boeing 747 as a freighter. According to the airline, the group’s fleet comprises 30 aircraft of the 747-400F and 747-8F series. As of 2026 this gives the following picture:

Type	Number	Status	Spotter tip
Boeing 747-8F	14	in service	Cargolux was launch customer, registrations LX-VCA to LX-VCN
Boeing 747-400F (incl. ERF)	16	in service, four of them with Cargolux Italia	Older fleet, the 777-8F is ordered as a replacement
Boeing 777-8F	10 ordered, 6 options	Delivery open, not expected before 2027	Freighter version of the 777X family

The Boeing 747-8 has a special history at Cargolux: the airline was launch customer of the freighter version. In October 2011 Cargolux took delivery of the first 747-8F in Everett, after there had previously been disagreements with Boeing over the contract. Almost two decades earlier Cargolux had already made history: in 1993 it became the first airline to put the freighter version of the Boeing 747-400 into scheduled service.

For the future Cargolux has made its decision: in 2022 the airline placed a firm order for ten Boeing 777-8Fs and secured six options. It belongs to the 777X family, whose passenger version you know as the Boeing 777-9. Cargolux ordered the twin-engine freighters as replacements for the 747-400F. When the first aircraft arrives in Luxembourg depends on the certification progress of the 777X – industry reports name different years, and nothing earlier than 2027 is expected. The younger 747-8Fs are not affected by this order.

By comparison, other cargo airlines already rely on the twin-engine Boeing 777F for long-haul today, such as Lufthansa Cargo or AeroLogic. Cargolux only takes this step with the next generation.

A look back: from the CL-44 to the 747

The beginnings were modest: a single CL-44 freighter connected Luxembourg with Hong Kong, and by 1973 the fleet already consisted of five CL-44s and one Douglas DC-8. From 1978 the propeller aircraft were phased out; in the same year Cargolux ordered its first Boeing 747s, which were delivered in 1979. The last DC-8 left the fleet in 1984. Since then the company has been inseparably linked with the jumbo – you can read more about the history of the type in The history of the Boeing 747.

How to recognize Cargolux

The first step is easy: every Cargolux is a Boeing 747. Four engines, the hump of the upper deck and the enormous dimensions make the type unmistakable even from a great distance. As a freighter, the aircraft has no row of windows along the fuselage and a shortened upper deck. If it stands on the parking position with its nose door raised, you are looking at one of the most impressive sights in cargo aviation.

The more interesting question is which version you are seeing:

• Boeing 747-8F: The fuselage is visibly longer, the wingtips sweep back and have no winglets. The GEnx engines have serrated trailing edges on the nozzles. At Cargolux the 747-8Fs carry the registrations LX-VCA to LX-VCN.
• Boeing 747-400F: shorter fuselage, upturned winglets at the wingtips. The registrations are a more mixed bag, for example LX-OCV, LX-SCV or LX-NCL.

The registration always begins with LX-, Luxembourg’s country prefix. How such prefixes are distributed worldwide is covered in Aircraft country prefixes. A nice detail for close-ups are the names: many aircraft are named after Luxembourg cities, for example “City of Vianden” (LX-VCA) or “City of Echternach” (LX-VCE). LX-VCL honors Joe Sutter, chief engineer of the original 747.

There are also special liveries. LX-NCL flies in a retro livery, LX-VCC carries the name “Spirit of Cargolux,” and LX-VCF is known as the “Facemask” jumbo with a painted-on face mask. You will find tips on tracking down such aircraft in Finding special liveries.

Cargolux Italia: the subsidiary in Milan

At the end of 2008 Cargolux founded an Italian subsidiary, which began flight operations in June 2009. Cargolux Italia is based in Vizzola Ticino right at Milan Malpensa Airport and operates four Boeing 747-400Fs with the registrations LX-VCV, LX-UCV, LX-WCV and LX-YCV. Instead of city names they carry the names of Alpine peaks: “Monviso,” “Tre Cime di Lavaredo,” “Monte Cervino” and “Monte Rosa.” From Milan the subsidiary flies to Hong Kong, Tokyo Narita and Zhengzhou, among other places.

For spotters this is a small trap: LX-VCV sounds like the 747-8F series LX-VC… but is a 747-400F of the Italian subsidiary. Always pay attention to the third letter and to the winglets.

Spotting Cargolux

The surest place for Cargolux is the home base, Luxembourg-Findel. The jumbos take off and land there spread across the day, and the airline’s maintenance hangar is also at the airport – with a bit of luck you will see aircraft just coming out of maintenance. Luxembourg is easy to reach from Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and the Trier area; a trip can be combined with a visit to the Flugausstellung Hermeskeil, an aviation museum.

The second must-visit is Milan Malpensa, where Cargolux Italia is at home. At other airports it depends heavily on the schedule and on charter contracts: Cargolux serves many destinations only a few times a week, and some special transports turn up spontaneously. So before your trip, check the tracker for CLX flights and read the runway direction in use, as described in the guide Understanding runway direction at airports. For the big four-engine jets it is also worth checking the sun position so the light is right on the side of the fuselage.

Common mix-ups

• Taking LX-VCV for a 747-8F – it belongs to Cargolux Italia and is a 747-400F.
• Taking every jumbo freighter for a Cargolux – Atlas Air, UPS and other airlines fly 747Fs too; the LX registration decides.
• Confusing Cargolux with Luxair – Luxair is the main shareholder but flies passenger aircraft in its own livery.
• Expecting the 777-8F today – so far Cargolux flies nothing but 747s.
• Searching for CV on the tracker – in operation the airline runs under CLX.

How registrations are built in general is covered in Understanding aircraft registrations.

Conclusion

Cargolux is a must for everyone who loves the jumbo: an all-747 fleet, launch customer of the 747-8F, city names on the fuselage and a manageable number of registrations that can be collected completely. You are most likely to catch the freighters in Luxembourg and Milan. And because the 777-8F will replace the older 747-400Fs, it is worth getting the aircraft with winglets into your logbook now.