diff --git a/components/camel-cxf/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/component/cxf/CxfEndpoint.java b/components/camel-cxf/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/component/cxf/CxfEndpoint.java
index 8b81383..14de4b3 100644
--- a/components/camel-cxf/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/component/cxf/CxfEndpoint.java
+++ b/components/camel-cxf/src/main/java/org/apache/camel/component/cxf/CxfEndpoint.java
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ import org.apache.camel.spi.HeaderFilterStrategyAware;
 import org.apache.camel.spi.UriEndpoint;
 import org.apache.camel.spi.UriParam;
 import org.apache.camel.spi.UriPath;
+import org.apache.camel.util.CastUtils;
 import org.apache.camel.util.EndpointHelper;
 import org.apache.camel.util.ObjectHelper;
 import org.apache.camel.util.UnsafeUriCharactersEncoder;
@@ -1081,10 +1082,22 @@ public class CxfEndpoint extends DefaultEndpoint implements HeaderFilterStrategy
                 }
 
                 message.setContent(List.class, content);
-                message.put(Header.HEADER_LIST, payload.getHeaders());
-            } else {
-                super.setParameters(params, message);
-            }
+                // merge header list from request context with header list from CXF payload
+                List<Object> headerListOfRequestContxt = (List<Object>)message.get(Header.HEADER_LIST);
+                List<Object> headerListOfPayload = CastUtils.cast(payload.getHeaders());
+                if (headerListOfRequestContxt == headerListOfPayload) {
+                    // == is correct, we want to compare the object instances
+                    // nothing to do, this can happen when the CXF payload is already created in the from-cxf-endpoint and then forwarded to a to-cxf-endpoint
+                } else {
+                    if (headerListOfRequestContxt == null) {
+                        message.put(Header.HEADER_LIST, payload.getHeaders());
+                    } else {
+                        headerListOfRequestContxt.addAll(headerListOfPayload);
+                    }
+                }            
+           } else {
+               super.setParameters(params, message);
+           }
 
             message.remove(DataFormat.class);
         }