The encyclopedia · Engineering & Operations · Operational decision · 2020–2021
Ethiopian flew cargo in the empty cabins of grounded jets when freight capacity vanished.
When passengers stopped flying, belly cargo space vanished; Ethiopian reconfigured 25 jets into freighters and moved 121,750 tons in cabin space.
Ethiopian Airlines
the move
Passenger air travel collapsed in spring 2020, and with it the belly cargo space of passenger planes. That removed roughly half the world's air-freight capacity just as the pandemic created urgent demand to move protective equipment and medical supplies.
On March 25, 2020 Ethiopian flew its first cargo-only service on a passenger Boeing 787-9, from Addis Ababa to Kinshasa, carrying more than 16 tons of PPE in the cabin and the belly. It then reconfigures 25 passenger aircraft into freighters using its own maintenance capability.
The term preighter was coined by Lufthansa's CEO, combining passenger and freighter, and other airlines followed with seat bags, boxes and stripped-out cabins. Ethiopian used the aircraft it already owned, and the space where passengers sat became the cargo hold.
A year after the first flight Ethiopian had operated 5,645 cargo flights on the cabins of passenger aircraft and moved more than 121,750 tons of cargo, distributing medical supplies for bodies such as the World Food Programme and the WHO.
why it works
- The cabin was already paid for and idle, so cargo there added revenue with almost no extra capital.
- Using the airline's own maintenance capability let it convert planes quickly instead of waiting for freighters.
- Carrying cargo in the cabin made each grounded turnaround produce income rather than a loss.
what transfers
When a shock removes the usual use of an asset, look for the capacity sitting idle inside it rather than buying a new asset.
what came after
The preighter became a defining logistics response of the pandemic. As demand eased, aviation safety authorities wound down the temporary authorisations, and airlines committed to dedicated freighters or full passenger-to-freighter conversions while e-commerce kept air freight strong. Ethiopian's move showed how a crisis can be met by re-using an asset the operator already owns and knows how to adapt.
references
- Ethiopian Marks One Year Since the First Preighter Operation on Passenger Aircraft
- A sign the pandemic is finally over? EASA says no more cargo in passenger cabins
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