cargo in passenger cabin

EU certifies 1st light-duty freighter aircraft

A large white passenger jet takes off with grey clouds in background.

European Union aviation authorities have approved the first design for a permanent mini-conversion of a large passenger aircraft to carry light cargo in the cabin, offering airlines a freighter shortcut that doesn’t involve ruggedizing the compartment for heavy containers.

London-based engineering startup Avensis Aviation said Thursday it obtained supplemental certification for modifying the interior of Airbus A330 passenger aircraft with a partial cargo configuration that involves removing...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/eu-certifies-1st-light-duty-freighter

EU ends airline exemption for cargo in passenger cabin

Boxes of cargo tied down with netting in the passenger compartment of an aircraft. The EU is ending permission for such loading.

European aviation regulators said Monday they won’t extend a safety exemption allowing airlines to carry critical supplies in the passenger cabin to make up for capacity lost when the pandemic closed down most commercial flights.

“The logistical challenges that arose in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 crisis no longer exist to the same extent,” the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said in a notice. The permission for cabin cargo expires July 31.

EASA was one of the first civil aviation...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/eu-ends-airline-exemption-for-cargo-in-passenger-cabin

Eastern Airlines enters air cargo market with ‘freighter-light’ model

An Eastern Airlines jet on tarmac in front of a hangar building.

Eastern Airlines, a small, relatively unknown passenger carrier, is making a significant play to join the air cargo big league with an unusual business model centered on stripping out seats from used aircraft rather than converting them to a traditional freighter that can carry heavy shipments on the main deck.

The Wayne, Pennsylvania-based company on Wednesday announced it has purchased 35 Boeing 777 widebody aircraft and plans to launch service targeted at the e-commerce and express delivery...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/eastern-airlines-enters-air-cargo-market-with-freighter-light-model

FAA gives passenger airlines 6-month extension for cabin cargo

Workers put boxes in yellow seat bags in the passenger cabin of a plane.

The Federal Aviation Administration has extended until the end of the year the exemption for U.S. commercial airlines to carry cargo in the main cabin when passengers are not present, citing an ongoing need to provide extra cargo lift capability while passenger traffic remains below pre-pandemic levels.

The trade group Airlines for America had requested a one-year extension for cargo-in-cabin flights, but the agency said in a Friday ruling that air travel is returning to normal and could soon...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/faa-gives-passenger-airlines-6-month-extension-for-cabin-cargo

Cargo-in-cabin innovation remains popular for some airlines

Interior shot of airplane passenger cabin loaded with boxes strapped to the floor.

Passenger aircraft dedicated purely to cargo operations have played an important role during the pandemic in delivering critical humanitarian and commercial supplies, as well as generating revenue for cash-strapped airlines when travel plummeted.

Most airlines used the bottom half of airplanes for cargo, where it normally shares space with baggage, but some added extra capacity by storing light shipments in the passenger cabin and even removing seats to allow for full floor loading.

The economics...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/cargo-in-cabin-innovation-remains-popular-for-some-airlines

Emirates puts giant A380 passenger jet to work hauling cargo

A giant white Emirates plane with four engines and wheels down comes in for a landing behind a blue sky.

Emirates said Wednesday it has deployed the Airbus A380, a massive double-deck passenger aircraft, for the first time in a dedicated cargo operation and plans to add more cargo-only flights in November.

The first A380 passenger freighter recently transported medical supplies from Seoul, South Korea, to Amsterdam via its home base in Dubai.

Emirates is repurposing the aircraft for cargo charter service to help make up for business lost when the coronavirus pandemic stunted passenger travel. The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/emirates-puts-giant-a380-passenger-jet-to-work-hauling-cargo

Delta 777 has short-lived run as seatless freighter

A big white Delta jet with blue tail takes off from runway.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) unbolted and removed all the seats from a Boeing 777 passenger airplane to make room for cargo shipments and then decommissioned it two months later along with the rest of its 777 fleet, raising the question: Why bother?

The Federal Aviation Administration certified Delta’s plan to remove seats from a 777-200 Extended Range aircraft at the end of August, enabling more than 10,000 additional pounds of cargo to be carried on the main deck. The aircraft was retired at...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/delta-777-has-short-lived-run-seatless-minifreighter

Asiana reconfigures A350 passenger cabin with Airbus cargo pallet system

Boxes being loaded in overhead bins and on floor of passenger plane with no seats.

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines is the first airline to modify an A350 twin-aisle plane with a mini-pallet system developed by Airbus (CXE: AIR) to increase the efficiency of cabin loading amid a supply shortage for cargo airlift.

Engineers removed 283 seats and installed the cargo pallet system on the floor to firmly secure cargo loads, increasing cargo capacity by 5 metric tons to 23 tons, Airbus said in a recent news release. The process also includes the removal of in-flight entertainment...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/asiana-reconfigures-a350-passenger-cabin-with-new-airbus-cargo-pallet-system

Singapore’s Scoot strips seats for cabin cargo

Boxes tied down in the passenger cabin with netting after seats removed. from Scoot jet.

Scoot, the budget carrier of Singapore Airlines Group, has removed the seats from an Airbus A320 aircraft to help meet demand for more cargo capacity and optimize deliveries to smaller airports during the coronavirus pandemic.

The modification is noteworthy because the A320 is a single-aisle aircraft and most passenger planes being operated in cargo-only mode tend to be widebody types that can carry bigger loads on long international routes. It also demonstrates that large airlines aren’t the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/singapores-scoot-strips-seats-for-cabin-cargo

Cathay Pacific strips seats from 777 aircraft for cargo

A Cathay Pacific widebody jet, up close side view. Cathay Pacific is removing seats from a couple planes to increase cargo capacity.

After operating thousands of cargo-only passenger flights since late March, Cathay Pacific  has deployed two widebody aircraft with seats removed to maximize floor loading of cargo in the passenger cabin.

The Hong Kong-based airline removed the economy and premium economy seats from two Boeing 777 passenger planes to create more space for personal protection equipment and high-value products, it said in a cargo-oriented newsletter published Friday.

Cathay Pacific began flying the modified...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/cathay-pacific-strips-seats-from-777-aircraft-for-cargo

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