EASA rules out temp combis, but there might be a middle ground

[caption id="attachment_414064" align="alignright" width="460"] Colibri Aero and J&C Aero are now offering their cargo seat bags to be used alongside passengers. (Photo: Colibri Aero)[/caption] The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is ruling out the reconfiguration of passenger aircraft into makeshift combis that have separate maindeck sections dedicated to passenger and cargo transport. “Temporary combis” are not not going to fly — at least not in EASA-regulated regions, but that doesn’t quite make it impossible to carry both cargo and passengers on the maindeck. Since April, the modification of aircraft into passenger freighters by removing seats from the main cabin has grown increasingly common, to the extent that more than 130 aircraft have now been reconfigured. But now that airlines have started slowly resuming their passenger flights, EASA has eliminated the possibility of reserving a reconfigured section of the cabin for cargo while adding seats back to the rest of the aircraft for a lighter load of passengers. “EASA is not in a position to support such mixed configurations,” a spokesperson told Cargo Facts . “For an otherwise unmodified passenger cabin, the necessary technical safety features and complementary operational procedures required for transport of cargo cannot be implemented if the aircraft is being used for passenger transport at the same time, and vice versa.” Combi-configured aircraft have come and gone, never realizing much potential beyond niche operations. KLM Cargo had retired the last 747-400 Combis operating in regular service, before reactivating some during the crisis. Following the near-collapse of passenger aviation, and the resulting capacity crunch, carriers have been far more open to new alternative concepts to meet air cargo demand, and assist with passenger recovery. United Airlines, which was early to passenger-freighter operations, said in April it was exploring whether temporary barriers could feasibly truncate passengers and cargo on the maindeck. The carrier utilizes space in the passenger cabin for cargo-only flights and has not discounted a hybrid option for when passengers take to the skies again. “We will continue to evaluate additional opportunities to use this space to meet the growing cargo demand,” said a spokesperson for United Cargo. While even aircraft configured as combis struggled to find a market outside niche types, makeshift combis would only make sense in the short term, when the expected slow pickup in passenger demand means airlines might look to take advantage of their aircraft’s capacities. “A temporary combi isn’t something we’re considering at the moment,” said Rick Bendix, manager, marketing & business development of Alaska Air Cargo . Alaska has been utilizing some of its 737-900 aircraft for cargo-only missions , and is looking at other ways of improving space utilization on the passenger deck. “We have a few different options that are being considered and evaluated internally, and are also talking with customers to see what levels of interest are out in the field.” Icelandair, which reconfigured two 757-300s and four 767-300ERs, told Cargo Facts it would be able to increase the cargo it carries as its passenger operations steadily ramp back up, but is not looking to go with a combi option, especially since it already has two 757-200PCFs. Finnair, which removed seats from two A330-300s, also told Cargo Facts that while it is considering all options, restoring the passenger cabin only partially isn’t a likely scenario, given the operational and safety requirements. EASA’s guidelines on the transport of cargo in passenger cabins, released in early April, were most recently updated mid-June to make it clear that they do not cover situations where there is a mix of passengers and cargo in the cabin. Don’t rule out sharing a flight with cargo just yet But even though temporarily reconfigured combis may never see the light of day, a “lite” version which does combine cargo and passengers in the same cabin could soon emerge. Regulators including EASA have been receptive to seatbags for use on cargo-only flights, and,these types of solutions appear to be compatible for use with passenger flights as well. Lithuania-based Colibri Aero and Ireland-based J&C Aero, which in April obtained a supplemental type certificate (STC) for cargo bags attached to seats in A318s, A319s, A320s and A321s, has now had the STC updated to allow for the seat bags to be used alongside passengers on the same flight. The bags come in two sizes: one that fits across a three-seat row, and another that takes up the space of a single seat. [caption id="attachment_414066" align="alignleft" width="460"] HAECO Cabin Solutions announced its stowage devices in April. (Photo: HAECO)[/caption] Colibri Aero and J&C Aero recently also announced the first cargo containers designed to be affixed permanently to the cabins of widebody passenger aircraft with seats removed. Boeing has also developed seat bags that will allow carriers to strap cargo to passenger seats using cargo nets within the seat bags.The Boeing bags are compatible for use with blocks of three coach seats. Another option could be for stowage devices that are compatible with existing seating and interior configurations. U.S.-based HAECO Cabin Solutions is also developing STCs for four different stowage configurations that use space on or below seats, or in place of seats, to add between 240-500 pounds of capacity. All four allow for the carriage of cargo and passengers at the same time. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to expand its guidance for temporary mixed-cabin configurations, or the use of seat bags and other stowage devices. So while passengers returning to skies in EASA’s jurisdiction won’t lose sight of the cockpit door as a result of temporary combi barriers, they may still find themselves seated near a mail bag or a lightweight box of surgical masks the next time they fly.

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