The Dubai-based airline, Emirates, is joining other airlines around the world in modifying its passenger aircraft to accommodate greater volumes of cargo. This won’t be anything earth-shattering to many who have been following the latest news on our website, as we have already seen carriers like Air Canada, Finnair, British Airways, and more, conduct similar modifications.
“Now, with the Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with modified Economy Class cabins, we will be able to transport even more cargo per flight, allowing for more cargo to reach their destination faster and for more efficient cargo operations.” -Nabil Sultan, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President, Cargo
Emirates is introducing additional cargo capacity by modifying some of its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. To do this, seats have been removed from the economy class cabin. The airline has good reason for this, saying, “The measure has been introduced in response to the strong air cargo market demand for the rapid, reliable and efficient transportation of essential commodities such as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, food, machinery and other supplies around the world.”
The aircraft’s business class and first class cabins will remain in-place.
The aircraft will be operated by Emirates’ cargo division: Emirates SkyCargo. For now, a total of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs will have their economy seating removed to allow for 17 tonnes or 132 cubic metres of additional cargo capacity per flight on top. This is in addition to the 40-50 tonne cargo capacity in the belly hold.
The airline says that these modified 777-300ERs will be deployed on “routes to key production and consumer markets where Emirates SkyCargo sees maximum demand for movement of urgently required goods.”
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