United Cargo operates more than 11,000 cargo-only flights in one year

On March 19, 2020, United operated its first flight carrying cargo without passengers on board. While the passenger cabin was empty, its cargo hold was completely full, carrying more than 29,000 pounds of commodities from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA). One year later, United Cargo has operated more than 11,000 cargo-only flights carrying more than 570 million pounds of freight.

To support the COVID-19 pandemic recovery efforts, United Cargo has also transported more than 113 million pounds of medical and pharmaceutical products on both cargo-only and passenger flights as well as approximately 10 million COVID-19 vaccines, providing global communities access to the items they have needed most. Since the end of December 2020, we have completed numerous vaccine-transport missions and continue to refine our processes to ensure this vital cargo is transported in the safest, most efficient way possible. This means creating comprehensive solutions, like adding a dedicated team of experts handling vaccine shipments and customer inquiries, while also enhancing our internal processes to ensure we clearly identify vaccine shipments and assign them higher boarding priority to allow for greater shipment visibility.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, we knew we were uniquely positioned to utilize our widebody aircraft and our network to keep commodities moving, so we quickly mobilized various departments throughout the airline to launch a cargo-only network of flights that would keep commodities moving,” said United Cargo President Jan Krems. “Thanks to those efforts, United Cargo has delivered millions of items to countries all around the world. We would not have been successful without the steadfast support of our employees, industry partners and our customers.”

Since last March, United Cargo has transported almost 850 million pounds of freight on cargo-only and passenger flights. The airline will continue to monitor market trends adjust its cargo-only flight schedules to help ensure we are meeting our customer’s evolving shipping needs.