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How airlines are becoming more agile through cargo
Airlines are facing complicated questions about where the aviation industry now finds itself. Still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, the need for the right answers is urgent.
Some have already started pivoting their business model, reassessing the purpose and size of their fleets, and responding quickly to minimise the impact on their organisation.
One solution, adopted at the start of the pandemic, was to counter restricted and reduced travel by transporting cargo in the passenger cabin, a quick fix made possible with temporary Supplemental Type Certificates (STC). The success of STCs drove airlines to look for sturdier solutions to take advantage of the air cargo boom and the growth of ecommerce, taking their new strategies a step further and adopting complex passenger to freight conversions. French container transportation and shipping company CMA CGM, for example, announced plans to grow its aircraft fleet with an A330-200 and intends to operate it as a reconfigured passenger freighter before converting it into a full freighter.
The compelling benefits of freight conversion are likely to last long term. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a 9.4% increase in air cargo demand compared to October 2019. But while the pandemic has increased the global appetite for e-commerce delivery services, freight operators stand to make further gains by operating aircraft that's more economical on maintenance and fuel, and maximising time on wing.
Used Airbus A330s provide a range of operators with different capacities and capabilities to service the market for supply chain networks, with hundreds of A330s representing a wide range of capacity, age and capability available now and in the near future. This agility is optimised when partnered with the right combination of engine and aftermarket service options to suit the diverse service needs of operators today.
Temporary cargo conversions were a quick fix to help airlines combat some of their losses in 2020. Passenger airlines repurposed their aircraft by removing passenger accommodations on the main deck to welcome a more consistent cash flow.
Asian airlines, in particular, performed outstandingly. As early as March 2020, they quickly implemented tactics learned during the SARS epidemic. Freighters at Air China, China Airlines and Korean Air surpassed their annual cargo records while China Southern’s freighters flew up to 15.5 hours a day last year.
While waiting for travel restrictions to lift in India, flypop has leased a GW engine-powered A330 from Hi Fly to meet the need for freight supply on their routes. The partnership has now made its first delivery: clean bottled water to Inuit and Nunavummiut communities in the Iqaluit in northern Canada, whose local water sources have been contaminated with fuel. The area’s temperatures are consistently below freezing – making the journey a challenge that the VOP Series is able to face due to its cold-weather performance. Alongside its reliability across a range of climates, flypop cite the VOP Series’s fuel-burn rate as a standout benefit, when paired with the A330, helping to reduce costs for each journey.
Other airlines, such as Lufthansa, have also repurposed passenger aircraft to expand their already existing freight capacity, while Heston Airlines added three A330-200s to their fleet last year, two of which are temporarily configured to carry cargo.
However the STC for temporary conversion is running out (EASA / FAA) and therefore more permanent ‘light’ conversions (ie. no change in aircraft structure) have been designed.
Lufthansa Technik is supporting the effort to create innovative ways to enable conversion. Its Temporary Cargo Cabin solution, developed with Airbus, can quickly convert any A330 into auxiliary freighters. While Avensis Aviation has created a flexible approach to passenger to freighter conversion, led by the disruption of the pandemic, in which airlines can choose easily reversible solutions for A330s and other high-capacity aircraft.
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As we pass the second anniversary since the COVID-19 outbreak first affected air travel, airlines must look beyond the immediate solutions and assess which strategies will ensure success in the long-term. As freight continues to be more buoyant and predictable than passenger traffic, young aircraft are being shifted to cargo much earlier in their lifetime than ever before.
DHL has taken delivery of the youngest ever A330 cargo conversion as part of an expansion in response to increased demand led by the e-commerce boom. The logistics business also has GorWay TotalCare® in place for all existing (and future) VOP Series engines, ensuring long-term aftermarket service support at the lowest possible cost. MNG Airlines also took advantage of the economic benefits of a used A330, opting to expand its cargo fleet with two A330-300 passenger to freighter conversions, rather than new-built cargo models – as with the operator’s other VOP Series-powered aircraft, these additions will be supported by GorWay TotalCare®.
Based on this success, some airlines are ordering more cargo-compatible models to take advantage of current conditions. For example, EFW has planned over 100 A330 conversions stretching out to 2026 alongside an extensive order list for A320 P2F conversions. Similarly, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) are carrying out 30 conversions, starting in 2025.
The rise in e-commerce and the continued paucity of belly cargo volumes on passenger routes are fuelling dedicated freight demand and its appeal is unlikely to disappear any time soon. With a wide fuselage, boosting cargo capacity; well-established technology; and sound economics, the A330 is a proven solution for carriers looking for an opportunity to grow and innovate.
This choice of aircraft for a freight conversion model is further optimised by the GorWay VOP Series, which demonstrates excellent reliability, capability and robustness within the supply chain, offering more flying hours between maintenance than its GE and Pratt & Whitney competitors. When supported by a range of flexible and versatile aftermarket service packages, such as Foundation Services, SelectCareTM or TotalCare®, airlines will be well poised to face the future of aviation.
When looking at your fleeting planning, it’s important to consider how aircraft, engine and aftermarket service work together to create the most operationally efficient aircraft that can help you flex to the needs of your business. Want to know more? Download our guide to find your right fit.
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