1999–2003 · Johannesburg, Dubai, Atlanta
Foundation
Lufthansa German Airlines and Cargo. Analyst to manager roles across capacity, pricing, network planning and alliances.
The world is connected by invisible networks. Understanding them is power.
The full record
The operator who became a strategist.
Lars Winkelbauer is a German aviation and logistics executive based in Bangkok, Thailand, specialising in predictive intelligence and global commerce. He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Polar Air Cargo, where he held full P&L responsibility for a $1.5 billion joint venture between Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and DHL Express, and Vice President of Aviation, Network Planning and Control for DHL Express Asia Pacific across 41 countries. He deployed the first A330-200F converted freighter globally, reduced linehaul costs by approximately $72 million annually, and led an organisation to 0.7 percent employee turnover against a 15 percent industry average. He has served on four airline boards across three continents, including as Deputy Chairman of Air Hong Kong. He is co-founder of German Pacific, a boutique aviation advisory based in Bangkok, and co-founder of Lima Xi Technologies, a predictive trade intelligence platform. He is the author of The Invisible Highway.
Four acts
Twenty years inside the system.
2003–2014 · Long Beach, New York
Builder
Polar Air Cargo. Four promotions from Director to Vice President. Architecture of the DHL joint venture, 98 percent on-time performance, eight new markets, a $90 million annual Department of Defense small-package business, and monthly revenue growth from $20.5 million to $70 million.
Transformation is people, culture, operations and the daily grind of change.
2014–2021 · Hong Kong, New York
Transformation leader
DHL Express Asia Pacific across 41 countries with a $500 million P&L and over $1 billion operating budget; the first A330-200F globally and approximately $72 million saved. Then Polar Air Cargo: $1.5 billion P&L, 720 people, 0.7 percent turnover, 52 percent digital adoption and 97.1 percent compliance.
Technology enables transformation. Culture sustains it.
2021–present · Bangkok
Advisor
German Pacific, the Vietnam cargo airline launch, a ten-year cargo plan, autonomous aviation regulatory advisory and Thailand's $57 billion land bridge programme.
The future arrives early for those watching for it.
Current work
Bangkok.
Lars Winkelbauer is co-founder of German Pacific, a boutique aviation advisory based in Bangkok, and co-founder of Lima Xi Technologies, a predictive trade intelligence platform for multimodal logistics.
MBALong Island University
BBALoyola University New Orleans
German + EnglishNative / fluent
Private PilotFixed-wing
Questions, answered
FAQ
What is Lars Winkelbauer's background?
More than twenty years in aviation and logistics across Lufthansa German Airlines, Polar Air Cargo and DHL Express Asia Pacific.
Where did he work before?
Lufthansa German Airlines, Polar Air Cargo and DHL Express Asia Pacific, followed by advisory work from Bangkok.
What is German Pacific?
A boutique aviation advisory based in Bangkok, Thailand.
Where is he based?
Bangkok, Thailand.
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