The airline industry, which is suffering from business difficulties due to the prolonged corona 19 crisis, is expanding its cargo business and is trying to defend its performance.
According to the airline industry, Korean Air took off all passenger seats on the night of yesterday (8th) and launched the first aircraft converted into a cargo-only aircraft.
In the aftermath of Corona 19, Emirates and other airlines have already converted and operated passenger aircraft as freighters, but Korean Air is the first Korean airline to operate.
To this end, Korean Air removed the cabin seats and in-flight electrical wiring of the two B777-300ER airliners after approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport, and installed a standardized locking device on the floor to secure the cargo.
Previously, Korean Air actively utilized the belly (lower cargo compartment) of passenger planes that had already stopped operating due to Corona 19, and installed a cargo seat bag on the passenger plane's seat from June to carry cargo. Maximized profits.
As a result, while major airlines around the world released negative report cards for the second quarter, Korean Air recorded a'surprising performance' of KRW 144.8 billion in operating profit.
Asiana Airlines, which focuses on Belly Cargo sales, also turned to black after six quarters, recording an operating profit of KRW 115.1 billion in the second quarter.
This is the result of flexibly operating freighter schedules and actively organizing temporary freighter flights.
Accordingly, Asiana Airlines is also planning to take off the seats of two passenger planes and convert them into a cargo-only aircraft soon after approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
It is reported that the freighter, which has been renovated, is scheduled to operate as early as this month.
As two major airlines (FSCs) made surprise results in the prolonged period of corona due to their active cargo sector, low-cost airlines (LCCs), which had been focusing on expanding domestic flights, are gradually turning their eyes to the expansion of the cargo business.
The most proactive is Jin Air, the only LCC that has the B777-200ER, a medium and large aircraft.
Jin Air, a subsidiary of Korean Air, is planning to remodel the B777-200ER aircraft in the middle of next month for the first time among LCCs and operate it as a cargo-only aircraft.
To this end, we plan to use the aircraft for passenger transportation until the Chuseok holiday, and to remove the cabin seat and convert it into a freighter like Korean Air after the holiday.
Currently, the approval process by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is in progress.
Jin Air previously operated the entire lower part of the B777-200ER airliner as a cargo compartment on the Incheon-Taipei route in March-April and the Incheon-Clark route in May.
T'way Air is also considering expanding its cargo transportation business to increase profitability in the second half of the year.
To this end, it is known that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is discussing ways to utilize the space in the passenger plane for cargo transportation in addition to the cargo compartment of the passenger plane.
Considering the model and cost issues, it seems realistic to load cargo on top of the cabin rather than removing the cabin seat like Jin Air.
It is known that Jeju Air is also considering various ways to increase cargo supply internally.
However, in the case of LCCs other than Jin Air, it is an analysis inside and outside the industry that it is not easy to actually make a profit from cargo transportation as the LCC industry has been operating passenger-oriented business for so long.
(Photo = Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, provided by Jin Air, Yonhap News)