Airlines explore alternative business
Refocusing efforts on cargo appears to be the most obvious thing to do. As the demand for passenger air travel had weakened, the requirement for air cargo surged, airlines started to convert their unused aircraft into freighters. It all began with airlines using passenger jets to deliver medical supplies, equipment of various kinds, industrial parts and high-demand consumer goods. Many operators worldwide, including Etihad Airways, KLM, American Airlines, All Nippon Airways and others, opted for expanding cargo and modified their passenger jets for goods transportation in order to sustain at least some of the operations. According to Freightwaves data, air cargo rates have spiked drastically amidst pandemic, with rates jumping from 27% (from Hong Kong to North America) to 50% (from Shanghai to Europe) in just two weeks. billion in passenger revenue this year. Nevertheless, the busy cargo market keeps growing and does not show signs of stopping.
Airbus has been developing a modification for A330 and A350 family aircraft which will enable airlines to install freight pallets directly onto the cabin floor seat tracks, after removal of the economy-class seats. This solution will help with the airlines’ own business continuity and also alleviate the global shortage of ‘belly-freight’ air cargo capacity due to the widespread grounding of long-haul aircraft in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this helps the industry to address the high demand for humanitarian flights to transport large quantities of medical equipment and other supplies rapidly over large distances to where they are needed.
Compared with loading cargo onto seats, this Airbus solution facilitates easier and quicker loading and unloading operations, as well as reduced ‘wear and tear’ to the seats themselves. Other important benefits include the added security of robust fire protection, as well as the 9g load restraint capability to prevent anything from shifting in flight. The modification is packaged for operators as an Airbus Service Bulletin (SB). Under this arrangement Airbus defines the engineering work scope and manages the process for obtaining the one-time certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Its scope includes the removal of the seats and the inflight entertainment, the installation of cargo pallets and associated safety equipment and also the re-installation of the original passenger cabin elements for reverting back to passenger operations. The SB approach will also be valid beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.