Hi Fly’s Airbus A380 is currently sporting a temporary cargo configuration, becoming the only superjumbo to fly with such an arrangement. 2020-07-10. by Ricardo Meier May 7, 2020. By Adam Gavine on May 7, 2020 MRO. This is hardly the first time a 777 P-to-F program has been discussed. Lufthansa Technik has supervised the whole procedure during which this passenger aircraft is temporarily converted into a freighter. In the aviation world, cargo has suddenly become a big business and perhaps the only business available to some airlines. Why the rush to convert passenger aircraft to cargo configuration? Contacts Us The aircraft operates out of its base in Beja, Portugal and has recently completed cargo flights from Tianjin to Montreal. So far, the company's cabin modification team has received enquiries from more than 40 airlines and over 15 projects for different aircraft … Instead, Airbus wants operators to realize how flexible their aircraft are and have the option to convert their aircraft at their home bases. pax-cargo-conversion. Cargo is the reason why the last 747 will be retired after the last A380, unless Airbus or a third party invests in certifying a cargo conversion for the A380. On the main deck there are now 19 cargo positions and seven on the upper deck. Airbus just announced a new cargo conversion solution for its A330 and A350 wide-body airliners. This has led to some airlines reentering the cargo market for the first time in 36 years, others retrofitting old mothballed aircraft into cargo carriers, and some airlines even pulling out the seats of their passenger aircraft to fit in as much cargo as possible. Lufthansa Technik is working on the first Airbus A380 passenger-cargo conversion, for an undisclosed customer. Boeing was responding to a request from the Dept. With the new configuration, the aircraft can now take heavier load than Airbus freighter airplane, known as the Beluga […] The only disadvantage of these conversions is that cargo still needs to be loaded through regular passenger doors. Join more than 500,000 others who receive weekly aviation industry and flight tracking news from Flightradar24 direct to their inbox. Working closely with AirAsia, Virgin Australia, Turkish Airlines and others, Nick provides unique insight and analysis on a variety of aviation topics. The Airbus A380 has some flaws (and why it was never turned into a cargo before). Unlike the 747, which was designed as a freighter from the beginning, not a lot of people seem to think the A380 will make a great freighter. Journalist - Working in news media for over a decade with outlets including 9News and the Discovery Channel, Nick is an airline marketing specialist with a Masters level education. About Flightradar24 The A380-800F has a payload capacity of 150,000kg with a range of 10,410km. Hi Fly’s A380 Completes First Cargo Flight Since Conversion. The A380 does not carry much freight for a widebody. One more weakness of very large jumbo jets (A380 and B747) is that, nowadays, most flights fly directly to the destination (point-to-point), not hub-to-hub as in the 1970s. Consider a comparison with the Boeing 747-400F, a popular air freighter. The total hold volume is 1,134m³. The point-to-point model causes airlines to make more frequent flights with smaller aircraft. Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. Cargo carrying capabilities and design of the A380-800F. The 747 has a maximum take-off weight of 448,000 kilograms to the A380’s 575,000. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM. Press enquiries, Data services Why the rush to convert passenger aircraft to cargo configuration? A 747F holds 710 m³ of freight and allows a maximum load weight of 448 t, while a freight model of the A380 would offer 1,134 m³ of space and a possible cargo weight of 575 t. An additional 60% capacity sounds impressive, measured in cubic meters, but … Ian Petchenik’s love of aviation began at an early age growing up next to Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Lufthansa Technik has not identified the customer but states that it has been awarded the technical and engineering task to support the “operational change” for the double-deck type. Careers Will similar kits be available for A380 considering its enormous capacity? The A330-200F is the only new-generation cargo aircraft available today that meets operations’ needs in the mid-size, long-haul segment. Airbus A380 Cargo Conversion. Once this conversion is complete, the aircraft will be able to transport more than double the cargo on its two decks. May 11, 2020 - by David Kaminski-Morrow for flightglobal.com. Forum Photo: Getty … The Hi Fly Airbus A380 received its cargo configured Airbus A380 back in early July. Lufthansa Technik and Hi Fly made this Conversion successful Aviation newsletter, Copyright © 2020 Flightradar24 AB | Privacy | Terms, Antonov An-225 Mryia – A flight tracking special, Latest Coronavirus Airline and Aviation industry news, All about the Falkland Islands and its airports, A closer look at the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, The Irkut MC-21: an introduction to Russia’s latest jetliner, Emirates to restart A380 flights this week, Tracking Santa’s Flight with Flightradar24, Track the Boeing 737 MAX certification flights, Tracking the Antonov An-225: the world’s largest cargo aircraft. Let us know in the comments. Given that the A380 has no real future as a true cargo aircraft (i.e. Since the conversion the A380 has flown medical supply missions from Tianjin, China to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and to Montreal, Canada with the increased cargo loads. In addition, the 747 has a cargo capacity of 710 m3 to the hypothetical A380-F’s 1134 m3. Russia may develop the “Super Flanker” fighter … So far, the carrier has provided a kit for the Airbus A330, capable of carrying 7.3 tonnes of cargo once converted, and the Airbus A350, which can carry up to 7.8 once the conversion is complete. The cargo version of the B747 makes its market wider. All A380s in the world right now are grounded and are too expensive to operate until passenger numbers return. Hi Fly’s Airbus A380 is currently sporting a temporary cargo configuration, becoming the only superjumbo to fly with such an arrangement. It is this latter market that Airbus wants to develop new conversion kits. With three decks, there would be plenty of room on board to store light cargo (like PPE and medical equipment, while bulky is very light). Even airframe builders are getting in on the action, with Airbus building kits to convert existing aircraft into cargo aircraft. Airbus has rolled out new conversion kits for its A330 and A350 products. Still, in today’s situation, an airline that is willing to make the conversion of an A380 could also make a killing in the cargo market (Hint Hint Singapore Airlines and Emirates). The upper deck, which has a maximum width of 5.92m, accommodates 17 pallets, while the main deck, maximum width 6.58m, holds 28 pallets and the lower deck 13 pallets. A380 freighter. German maintenance specialist Lufthansa Technik is working on a conversion for an Airbus A380 as part of its effort to offer temporary passenger-to-cargo modification services. Hi Fly converts its A380 to carry cargo. Hi Fly’s A380 is completing its first mission since gaining a cargo interior! The modification comes as Hi Fly has employed multiple aircraft in its fleet to carry medical supplies and conduct repatriation flights in response to COVID-19. These ‘kits’ are a guide to removing the passenger seats, what new cargo webbing needs to be installed (purchased from Airbus or local sources), and what engineering work needs to be done. Airbus is offering conversion kits to airlines to convert Airbus A330 and Airbus A350 passenger aircraft into freight carriers. Readers may remember our recent piece regarding Lufthansa Technik’s conversion of an A380 for cargo use.. At the time Lufthansa Technik declined to … Photo: Hi Fly Superjumbo back in the skies. The last A380 has its fuselage assembled by Airbus. Under normal circumstances, around 50% of all air freight is transported in the belly of passenger aircraft on standard routes. As Flightradar24’s director of communications and co-host of the AvTalk podcast Ian now gets to share that passion for aviation with millions of Flightradar24 users and listeners around the world. For A330s that have completed their useful operational service as passenger jetliners, the A330P2F freighter conversion option offers a solution that is both cost-effective and highly-efficient. Early in its commercial career, the A380 was offered by Airbus as a cargo aircraft. However, with the current lockdown and aircraft groundings, freight forwarding firms are finding that they cannot get enough aircraft in the skies to meet demand. The project to convert the “Whale” in a full cargo plane was promoted in early May by Lufthansa Technik (LH) that stated they even had a request from an A380 owner for such a conversion but declined to name the airline. FAQs September 24, 2020 , 6:54 pm , Fly; Hi Fly’s Airbus A380 is back in the skies. 0 [DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS] Ricardo Meier. Intriguingly, a spokesman said, "If there is a market, Airbus can propose a solution for any aircraft." Lufthansa Technik previously announced it had a secured a customer for a passenger-to-cargo conversion of the A380 and this week Hi Fly confirmed that its sole A380 has been modified from passenger configuration to increase its cargo capacity. Joe Sutter was genius for designing the 747 to have the flight deck on a “hump” on the upper level, which allows the nose to swing open to load cargo. However, this time the aircraft is back with a difference. It’s all about the economics and the things that limit revenue potential. By Ian Petchenik. Hi Fly’s Airbus A380 is back in the skies. Please Support us by turning off your adblocker. The conversion created the world’s first cargo Airbus A380. It wouldn’t be fully loaded at typical levels of air cargo … Specialized companies such as UPS and Fedex became interested in the aircraft, which would be able to transport 150 tons on routes of up to 10,410 km. There are a number of factors as to why the A380 will never make a good freighter, and those include ceiling height, ULD tare weight and length. The airframe builder has not ruled out offering kits to convert A380s as well. As the A380 is the world's largest passenger jet, that's a lot of space that's been freed up. What is different about this kit conversion model is that the aircraft doesn’t need to be flown to Airbus in France to be converted. According to Forbes, Airbus has not ruled out the conversion kit, and coyly said: “If there is a market, Airbus can propose a solution for any aircraft.”. Hi Fly converts world’s largest passenger jet Airbus A380 for cargo use. Based in Sydney, Australia. “A special highlight is the support of the operational change of a first Airbus A380, of an undisclosed customer with which Lufthansa Technik has now been awarded.”. With the seats removed, the A380 holds approximately 320 m³ of cargo across the upper and lower decks and cargo hold. Thirteen years after the double-decker, long-hauler superjumbo by Airbus entered service as a passenger aircraft, the A380 could be used as a freighter for the first time. Sign up to our daily aviation news digest. The A380 could be converted into a cargo carrier. The A380 has all the hallmarks of a potentially excellent cargo aircraft. Blog  >  Special Aircraft Tracking  >  Hi Fly converts its A380 to carry cargo. The airframe builder has not ruled out offering kits to convert A380s as well. Hi Fly’s Airbus A380 is currently sporting a temporary cargo configuration, becoming the only superjumbo to fly with such an arrangement. 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