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.
There are too many airlines in Korea’s domestic market to survive, so the government engineered a merger between Korean Air and Asiana.
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.
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.
Airlines have cut costs to the bone to survive the COVID pandemic. Shrinking the bone — maintenance, airport fees, labor and aircraft rent — is more difficult.
Asiana and Azul are taking cargo seriously in an unprecedented year for aviation. To capture greater cargo revenue, Asiana has replaced passenger seats with a novel freight pallet system. Azul is turning regional jets into cargo planes.
American Airlines cargo and passenger flights will shift to a new mega-airport in Beijing in March. Passenger demand will dictate how long cargo-only flights continue.
Airlines are slowly adding flights, but don’t mistake that for market optimism. Bookings are trending down for the winter and airlines are bleeding billions in cash.
At airlines, cargo is typically the junior partner to passenger service. During COVID, the roles are reversed and United Airlines is using its cargo network to support more passenger service.
