Ghost flights — passenger aircraft with no passengers, only cargo — were never a thing before the coronavirus pandemic. In the past year, airlines have operated thousands of passenger aircraft as mini-freighters. Who are the industry leaders?
We haven’t heard many airlines recently culling their cabins of seats, but Kenya Airways is now the first to do so with a Boeing 787.
United has made cargo a priority during the pandemic. The number of passenger cargo flights it operates is evidence of that.
Delta joins the caravan of airlines moving COVID vaccines. Air Canada gets ready.
Air Canada is showing itself to be one of the most innovative airlines around. It plans to start an all-cargo subsidiary on top of new initiatives in drone delivery and seatless aircraft that can carry cargo in the cabin.
Cargo never got a window view during air transport until the coronavirus pandemic led airlines to find innovative ways to mitigate the loss of passenger revenue. Alaska Airlines is joining other carriers in stowing boxes and mailbags in seats.
The A380 isn’t prized for its cargo capability, but when operated in “ghost” mode there’s a lot more room for stuff.
Delta took pains to remove seats from a large jet so it could carry more cargo — and eight weeks later permanently parked the airplane.
Delta is responding to customer willingness to pay good rates for airfreight by adding more cargo-only flights.
The airfreight market is gaining strength as trade and e-commerce grow, but the disappearance of most international air travel is hurting airlines. And the situation appears to be worsening with new waves of COVID in Europe and the U.S.
