The weekly Monday route will see a MD-11 freighter fly directly to Detroit and then return via a stop off in New York on the way back to Frankfurt.

From March, the frequency of the service will be increased to twice per week.

This new route is the seventh destination served by the cargo airline’s freighter network in the USA.

Along with the services operated by the Lufthansa passenger business, direct flights are now available to 17 airports in America.

Achim Martinka, vice president for the Americas at Lufthansa Cargo, said: “The new freighter connection supplements the daily flights operated by Lufthansa passenger aircraft, and offers our customers more capacity and greater flexibility.

“The automotive and pharmaceuticals industries, especially, are fueling the growing demand for fast and reliable transports to and from Detroit.”

In 2011 Lufthansa Cargo transported around 1.9 million tonnes of freight and sold 9.5 billion revenue tonne-kilometres.

The cargo carrier currently serves 300 destinations in more than 100 countries worldwide.