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passenger aircraft
Defense Department conscripts 6 airlines for Afghanistan evacuation
The U.S. Department of Defense on Sunday activated its Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), designed to augment military airlift during national emergencies, and is compelling six airlines to help with the evacuation of U.S. citizens and other at-risk refugees from Afghanistan.
The order from U.S. Transportation Command pulls a total of 18 widebody aircraft into service, including planes from two companies that predominantly provide commercial all-cargo service. Atlas Air (NASDAQ: AAWW) and Air...
Latvian airline leases A330 jets, removes seats for cargo
Latvia’s SmartLynx Airlines, responding to strong market incentives, is diving deeper into the cargo business with the lease of five Airbus A330 widebody aircraft that have had their seats temporarily removed to increase cargo capacity.
The global economic recovery from the COVID pandemic is on a 6% growth trajectory this year, but the supply of aircraft is 14% to 18% below pre-crisis levels due to severe flight reductions by international passenger carriers. Interest in air is high to quickly...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/latvian-airline-leases-a330-jets-removes-seats-for-cargo
777 ‘Big Twin’ program reaches midpoint for cargo conversion
Israel Aerospace Industries has reached a milestone in development of the Boeing 777 passenger-to-freighter conversion program, moving beyond the planning phase to physically modifying the prototype aircraft.
IAI and partner GE Capital Aviation Services, a major leasing company, announced Tuesday that the first extended range 777-300 will officially be inducted into IAI’s Tel Aviv repair facility toward the end of June.
Kalitta Air, a large all-cargo operator based in Michigan, is the launch...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/777-big-twin-program-reaches-midpoint-for-cargo-conversion
Rising jet fuel price puts extra pressure on airfreight sector
The rising price of jet fuel this year is further burdening companies with airfreight shipments and could reduce limited capacity if passenger airlines opt to scuttle cargo-only flights temporarily operated since the start of the pandemic, industry officials say.
The average price for jet fuel closed Friday at $66.90 per barrel or $1.59 per gallon, more than double the cost (70 cents a gallon) to refuel an aircraft 12 months ago and nearly as expensive as before the global crisis, according to...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rising-jet-fuel-price-puts-extra-pressure-on-airfreight-sector
American Airlines keeps cargo-only flights to Beijing through March
American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) will continue to operate cargo-only flights to Beijing Capital International Airport with passenger aircraft through the end of March, after which all activity will switch to Beijing’s new airport.
The Texas-based carrier announced Friday it is moving flights to the new Beijing Daxing International Airport, the biggest airport in the world, when passenger service resumes from its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport on March 27. Flights will operate daily on a...
Airline cargo divisions finally gain a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Air cargo is the cash cow for many passenger airlines during the coronavirus pandemic, an unusual result of decimated travel demand forcing passenger networks to shut down and carriers repurposing airplanes for cargo-only service.
Other than cargo and loyalty programs, airline revenues are extremely weak as the industry racks up tens of billions of dollars in losses.
Air France-KLM, Aeromexico, IAG Group/British Airways and Korean Air significantly exceeded last year’s cargo revenues in the...
https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/airline-cargo-divisions-finally-get-some-r-e-s-p-e-c-t
Emirates brings back A380 super jumbo jet, more routes
Emirates is pumping up its passenger schedule and bringing back the gigantic Airbus A380 double-decker even as most airlines are being very judicious in restarting international service during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Dubai-based airline has added a significant number of destinations in recent weeks and said Thursday it is optimistic that it will be able to operate to 100% of its network, or more than 140 cities, by next summer.
Emirates also is gradually returning its super jumbo jet, the A380,...
Delta Air Lines cabins to go naked
Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is the only major U.S. airline that currently plans to take advantage of federal authorization to strip passenger aircraft of their seats and substitute boxes of cargo.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) a month ago issued an exemption for domestic airlines to operate aircraft with floor-loaded cargo in the cabin, but the determination came after an airfreight bubble. Industry watchers wondered whether rates were still high enough to justify the conversion...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/exclusive-delta-air-lines-cabins-to-go-naked
How Air Canada beat US airlines removing seats for cargo
It took the Federal Aviation Administration two months to authorize U.S. airlines to remove seats from passenger aircraft for cargo purposes. Air Canada (TSX: AC) received its governmental OK in a week.
Industry urgency to innovate also was greater north of the border. Canada’s flag carrier was already flying cabin-loaded flights by mid-April, one month before U.S. carriers even applied through their trade association to remove seats from their airplanes.
The delay may have cost U.S. carriers...
https://www.freightwaves.com/news/how-air-canada-beat-us-airlines-removing-seats-for-cargo