Emirates to operate 10 reconfigured 777-300ERs

[caption id="attachment_414111" align="alignright" width="460"] The removal of 305 seats from each 777-300ER allows for up to 17 tonnes and 132 cubic meters of additional cargo capacity per flight. (Photo: Emirates)[/caption] Emirates has begun operating reconfigured 777-300ERs with seats removed to create additional cargo capacity. The airline has already modified seven aircraft, with three more to follow by mid-July. These reconfigured 777s, called “mini freighters” by Emirates SkyCargo , add to the carrier’s substantial fleet of passenger freighters — 777-300ERs that have their passenger cabins intact — and eleven 777Fs. According to Cargo Facts ’ Passenger-Freighter Database , Emirates has already operated around 100 777-300ERs on cargo-only flights, whether as part of the carrier’s extensive scheduled network or in charter service. Most of the reconfigured aircraft are the oldest frames in the Emirates fleet, at around fourteen years old. Emirates told Cargo Facts it made the decision to take the additional step of reconfiguring in May. While the U.A.E. carrier joins Taiwan-based EVA Air, which only started flying a single reconfigured 777-300ER in June, as relative latecomers, it is noteworthy that both are operators of full freighters in the form of the 777F. The other carriers that have freighter aircraft but have already reconfigured passenger aircraft so far are: Air Algerie, Air China, Air France, Azul, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines , Icelandair, LATAM , Lufthansa, Sichuan Airlines, SpiceJet, and Terra Avia . Cargo Facts believes at least one more airline will soon be joining the list. See also: Return to the skies of passengers doesn’t spell the end of passenger freighters As the largest operator of the 777-300ER by far, with just over 130 aircraft, the move by Emirates isn’t entirely surprising since it clearly does not need its whole contingent of 777-300ERs even as passenger services are gradually and partially restored. When Emirates began placing cargo on seats and in overhead compartments in early May, Divisional Senior Vice President of Cargo Nabil Sultan said the carrier was considering the removal of seats for routes with high demand. With three types of “freighters” to choose from, Emirates told Cargo Facts deployment is dependent on the volume of demand and the nature of the commodities. In addition to personal protective equipment, the mini freighters are also capable of carrying garments, pharmaceuticals maintained within a temperature range of 15-25 degrees Celsius, cut flowers, and certain dry and non-smelling fruits and vegetables on the maindeck. These aircraft have so far been deployed to cities such as Amsterdam (AMS), Bangkok (BKK), Bengaluru (BLR), Chicago (ORD), Colombo (CMB), Columbus (LCK), Dhaka (DAC), Eldoret (EDL), Karachi (KHI), Nairobi (NBO), Riyadh (RUH), and Zaragoza (ZAZ). The removal of 305 economy class seats from each 777, which can already carry 40-50 tonnes of belly cargo on a cargo-only flight, requires around 640 man-hours and enables up to 17 tonnes and 132 cubic meters of supplementary cargo capacity per flight. All modification work is being carried out at the Emirates Engineering facilities in Dubai (DXB). It is currently unclear how Emirates’ fleet of eleven 777Fs will change in the next couple of years. Last year, the carrier returned two 777Fs (35606 and 35607) to DAE Capital after ten-year leases. Assuming all eleven 777Fs are being leased under similar terms, a decision may soon have to be made regarding the next aircraft (35612), which was delivered to Emirates in August 2011. Emirates didn’t go into specifics as to whether it has been reevaluating its freighter strategy in light of the pandemic, only saying it believes it has “more than adequate flexibility to respond to market demand over the near- and mid-term” with the eleven 777Fs and the 777-300ERs.

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