After school, Helmuth Klumpp worked briefly for the German Federal Railroad and a travel agency before joining KLM, where he spent 9 years in air cargo operations in Germany. During this period he rose from clerk to Neiremberg city manager, to Frankfurt city manager, and subsequently KLM’s Freight Manager for Germany.

After being Sales Manager-Germany for Air Express International, he joined the Lufthansa freight department in 1960. He became General Manager, Germany and finally General Manager, North and Central America for Lufthansa.

For fifteen years he was Lufthansa’s delegate to the IATA Cargo Tariff Conference.

In addition to his cargo leadership, his most dramatic mark on the air cargo industry was the instigation and introduction of the Boeing 747 Freighter.