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Airlines

Korean Air hits milestone of 10,000 cargo-only passenger flights

COVID-19, container ship shortage boost demand

By Aug 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)

1 Min read

Korean Air officials remove seats in an airliner to enable cargo floor loading.
Korean Air officials remove seats in an airliner to enable cargo floor loading.

Korean Air Lines Co. (KAL) hit a milestone of having operated 10,000 cargo-only passenger flights as of Aug. 1, as the country’s top carrier goes for broke to secure profit in the COVID-19 era and cash in on the recent shortage of shipping containers.

Korean Air launched these cargo-only flights on its Incheon-Ho Chi Minh route in March 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic crippled international travel. According to a company statement on Aug. 2, the airline currently operates more than 800 cargo-only passenger flights a month, sharply up from mere 38 in March of last year. It transported a total of 400,000 tons on 65 routes to North America, Europe, Southeast Asia as well as neighboring China and Japan.

Demand for such flights increased as domestic consignors suffered amid a recent shortage of shipping containers and soaring freight rates. Korean Air’s cargo volume using the transformed passenger aircraft recovered to more than 40,000 tons a month this year, close to pre-pandemic levels, from 16,000 tons per month immediately following the outbreak, according to the company.

“We expect cargo-only passenger flights to play a more vital role in the second half of the year, when the volume of import and export cargo typically increases,” said a Korean Air official.

Thanks to the cargo-only passenger flights, Korean Air has reported quarterly operating profit for four straight quarters since April-June, 2020.

The cargo-only passenger flights mainly carry pandemic relief goods such as COVID-19 diagnostic kits, protective clothing and masks. Korean Air has deployed more than 100 cargo-only aircraft to India, the country hit second-hardest by the pandemic, to deliver relief goods. It also transports pandemic-related supplies to Indonesia, Singapore, Germany and Canada.

Korean Air has increased its cargo capacity by utilizing overhead bin space, using “cargo seat bags,” a safety device that can load cargo onto passenger seats, and removing seats to enable cargo floor loading.

Write to Kyung-Min Kang at kkm1026@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.
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